When Palmyra Police Chief Dave Dalton arrived on scene of the car/deer accident along the unlighted section of Johnson Street, the two small children in the car’s back seat were terrified and crying.
Dalton returned to his patrol car and brought out two stuffed moose dolls, offering one to each child.
“They immediately smiled and relaxed,” Dalton recalled. “They were very polite and asked if they could keep them. I advised Mom that they were a gift from the local Moose Lodge.”
Recently, members of the Palmyra Moose Family Center handed out 20 stuffed moose dolls to the Palmyra Police Department, Palmyra Fire Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and Finger Lakes Ambulance. The dolls, known as “Tommy Moose” are part of a community service outreach program started by Moose International. The Tommy Moose Program provides stuffed animals for local Moose Lodges to donate to emergency crews for children encountered at the scene of traumatic or stressful situations “giving them a soothing object to refocus their attention toward while emergency aid takes place.”
“The Palmyra Moose, Women of the Moose, Loyal Order of the Moose and the Moose Riders all believe in our children as a worthy cause and do many things to help them out,” said Lori Facer-Brown, a Moose Rider and member of WOTM. “We also do things for our elders and those in our own community that need help.”
Each agency received five Tommy Moose dolls, but this is the second time the Palmyra Moose Family Center has given away the stuffed animals to help children. Across the U.S. and Canada, over 100,000 dolls have been purchased by Moose lodges and chapters, making the program the most successful in the history of the Loyal Order of the Moose.
“We have handed out many over the years and have had the same result,” Dalton said of the calming effect the stuffed moose has brought children over the years. “It almost immediately takes their mind off the bad things and they hug ‘Tommy’ and begin to relax. We, members of the Palmyra Police Department, feel that this is a great program and very beneficial to law enforcement, as well as the children who receive ‘Tommy.’”
See photos of each agency receiving the Tommy Moose dolls from Palmyra Moose members.
When Palmyra Police Chief Dave Dalton arrived on scene of the car/deer accident along the unlighted section of Johnson Street, the two small children in the car’s back seat were terrified and crying.
Dalton returned to his patrol car and brought out two stuffed moose dolls, offering one to each child.
“They immediately smiled and relaxed,” Dalton recalled. “They were very polite and asked if they could keep them. I advised Mom that they were a gift from the local Moose Lodge.”
Recently, members of the Palmyra Moose Family Center handed out 20 stuffed moose dolls to the Palmyra Police Department, Palmyra Fire Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and Finger Lakes Ambulance. The dolls, known as “Tommy Moose” are part of a community service outreach program started by Moose International. The Tommy Moose Program provides stuffed animals for local Moose Lodges to donate to emergency crews for children encountered at the scene of traumatic or stressful situations “giving them a soothing object to refocus their attention toward while emergency aid takes place.”
“The Palmyra Moose, Women of the Moose, Loyal Order of the Moose and the Moose Riders all believe in our children as a worthy cause and do many things to help them out,” said Lori Facer-Brown, a Moose Rider and member of WOTM. “We also do things for our elders and those in our own community that need help.”
Each agency received five Tommy Moose dolls, but this is the second time the Palmyra Moose Family Center has given away the stuffed animals to help children. Across the U.S. and Canada, over 100,000 dolls have been purchased by Moose lodges and chapters, making the program the most successful in the history of the Loyal Order of the Moose.
“We have handed out many over the years and have had the same result,” Dalton said of the calming effect the stuffed moose has brought children over the years. “It almost immediately takes their mind off the bad things and they hug ‘Tommy’ and begin to relax. We, members of the Palmyra Police Department, feel that this is a great program and very beneficial to law enforcement, as well as the children who receive ‘Tommy.’”
See photos of each agency receiving the Tommy Moose dolls from Palmyra Moose members.
