Wednesday, May 25, 2005
An Iraqi girl holds stuffed toys sent to Iraq by Teddy Bears for Peace, which was started by Buck Payne. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Major Russell Goemaere)
Stuffed toy bears given to Iraqi kids as message of love.
By Erica Franklin - JOURNAL REPORTER
Despite a near-death experience in a military helicopter crash in July 2003, Army Capt. Taryn Burgess has made strides to create peace with Iraqis.
In April, with the crash still in her memory, Burgess had her father, Buck Payne, of Winston-Salem, buy $100 worth of teddy bears with money from her checking account to send to Iraqi children. His daughter's act of kindness inspired Payne to form Teddy Bears for Peace.
Payne said that his daughter, having seen the terrifying and dreadful living conditions of the Iraqi children, believes that every child at least deserves a teddy bear to cuddle at night and play with during the day. He used that thought to make a pitch for donations of teddy bears or money to buy bears in a letter he sent to community organizations.
As of May 20, Teddy Bears for Peace has sent more than 1,000 stuffed animals to U.S. battalions to give away to Iraqi children to show love and harmony for humankind. The organization hopes to give away many more.
Payne said that the idea is to improve the negative opinions some Iraqis have about Americans. He said he hopes that those Iraqis might change their minds if they see Americans doing something nice for their children.
"We are not trying to win the war with the teddy bears, but if it would help to end it one day sooner and at least put a long-awaited smile on a child's face, it will be worth our efforts," Payne said.
Burgess said she believes that the effort is important in helping change the attitudes of Iraqis.
"We may never change the parents' minds of us and this new government they are starting as a whole, but this can play a big difference in helping to win the hearts of the children so they see us as their allies and friends, not as their enemies," Burgess said in an e-mail conversation from Iraq.
Burgess is a graduate of West Forsyth High School and Campbell University. She has been in the Army since May 1999.
On the night of July 3, 2003, she was the co-pilot of a Kiowa helicopter that crashed outside of Baghdad. The helicopter dove to the ground from just 12 feet, but its 5,200-pound frame caused a severe impact in a crash brought on by the desert heat and wind-whipped sand. Burgess and the other pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Steve Salinas, escaped with bruises. Burgess went back to work the next day.
As she continued to serve in Iraq, she continued to notice the plight of the children, which led her to reach out to her father. Then, when others heard of Payne's efforts, they immediately began to help.
Guy Schuman, the president of the Winston-Salem Warthogs baseball team, became one of many people helping collect teddy bears. The Warthogs sponsored Teddy Bears for Peace Night, in which tickets were sold as "buy-one-get-one-free" if a person donated a teddy bear.
"We saw this as a way for us to assist Buck and his group in some small way to positively affect the lives of children who are living through a very stressful time and situation," Schuman said.
Payne, a member of Calvary Baptist Church, said that other members of his church have helped to promote Teddy Bears for Peace. He said that the members talked to others in the community; these others included members of other churches.
Members of Center Grove Baptist Church, Reynolda Presbyterian Church, and Word for Wisdom Fellowship have helped with the donation, collection and shipping of bears.
Pat Macy, a member of Reynolda Presbyterian Church, said that it's one thing to attend church, but another "to be a church."
"Although we could not be there to wrap our arms around the children, it was our prayer they (Iraqi children) would receive love and support from God by way of the teddy bears," Macy said.
"We were inspired by Taryn's vision. It is wonderful to see the outpour of love and concern in a simple yet tangible way."
Teddy bears have been collected in storage containers donated by Lentz Transfer & Storage Co. and shipped to Burgess, who then sends them to the 443 Civil Affairs Battalion.
From there, the bears are given to different units to hand out to Iraqi children during outings near orphanages and hospitals.
At first, Payne thought the organization would have to stop operations at the end of this month because of the limited amount of help and support. Today, he said, he looks forward to continuing.
"We plan to send our story to Oprah and the president, and see where we can go from there," Payne said.
• Erica Franklin can be reached at 727-7381 or at efranklin@wsjournal.com
• People who would like to donate to Teddy Bears for Peace can visit one of the churches mentioned or the Forsyth County offices of the N.C. Farm Bureau, where Payne works. The bureau's main office in the county is at 4280 Patterson Ave. in Winston-Salem. Payne also said that people can call him at 766-9099.