Benefits of the Appeal
Benefits for the Community in General
The appeal benefits the community through the A&E departments that serve them. The use of the teddies within A&E units has been proved to have beneficial effects for the children admitted to A&E units - by relieving the distress that they face and alleviating the fear of the being treated by complete strangers, the teddies are used in various ways;
As something for the staff to befriend the child with,
For the child to cuddle,
As a reward for being brave,
For staff to demonstrate what they are going to do
The medical staff – as these teddies allow staff to befriend the children and relieve their distress, the medical staff are able to administer medical treatment more easily and quickly.
A quote from one A&E Sister “I cannot remember how we used to cope with these children before the Teddies. I hope that you can continue to supply them for a long time”.
The parents, guardians and siblings of the children – by relieving the distress of the children, the distress of the parents, guardians and siblings is also relieved.
In addition, parents have related many stories of how this simple gesture has helped their children, themselves and the medical staff.
Many children who have received TLC Teddies treat them as very special toys. One little girl who suffered serious burns named her Teddy “Burnie” Another calls her teddy “Mason” and another is named “Broomfield” after the hospital where he was treated. Where the child returns to hospital for further treatment, more often than not the TLC Teddy that they were given at A&E accompanies them. The TLC Teddy seems to provide them with confidence and reassurance.
Benefits for Freemasonry
The appeal is a Masonic initiative and therefore no reward is required and it is not an objective. But the pure nature of the appeal has benefited Freemasonry.
The appeal has raised the level of public awareness of the contribution made to the community by Freemasonry, a greater understanding of the principles on which Freemasonry is founded, and how those principles are exercised in the modern world:-
The launch of the TLC Teddies by the Appeal in Essex, with simultaneous delivery of the first teddy bears to A&E units, resulted in positive articles and pictures in more than 20 local newspapers, local radio coverage and a local TV.
A senior A&E consultant asked privately to learn more about Freemasonry; he now believes that the negative views he was taught at college are not a true reflection!
Each teddy carries a tag “Donated by Local Freemasons”, which provides continuous evidence of the principles of Freemasonry in practice.
In a press interview with the Provincial Grand Master of the Province of Essex during “Freemasonry in the Community Week”, the reporter specifically made reference in the article to the TLC Appeal and the real benefit that she and her child had gained when admitted to A&E from this “small and simple gesture”. This helped her come to the conclusion our “ritual and secret handshake should be left untouched – we are all entitled to secrets”.
Many of the public have insisted on making donations, purely based on the concept and seeing the benefits of the Appeal in action.
At least one new Freemason has been initiated as a result of his children being helped by the TLC Appeal, and I am sure that many more are influenced.
For our membership, their enthusiasm to be part of the Appeal has been overwhelming. Whether the contribution has been financial or practical, almost all of the brethren, and their partners and families, want to be identified with the Appeal.
