According to the Children’s Advocacy Center, nearly 700,000 children are abused each year. Of those, the median age is 9 years old. If the police find out, the experience of an interview where they must look back on an instance of sexual or physical assault can be traumatic for anybody, much less a child whose brain isn’t completely developed. It’s important to do something about it.

That’s exactly what freshman Kaylie Kelly did by partnering with the Children’s Advocacy Center to start a teddy bear drive. The drive started on Jan. 5. The organizers have a goal of 1,000 stuffed animals before Feb. 15.

“My name is Kaylie Kelly and I am a victim of sexual assault,” Kelly states in her flyer for the drive, as well as in an interview. “For me, spreading awareness and helping others is what I feel I need to do to help the victims of sexual assault and physical assault in our community come forward with their stories and feel safe and at home.

“To help alleviate the anxiety of a strange new place to kids, they are given a stuffed animal after what could’ve been a traumatic forensic interview where they are asked to recall abuse. For me, receiving this stuffed animal was a symbol of when I finally felt safe and comfortable telling my story,” Kelly continued.

The stuffed animals or teddy bears must be no smaller than eight inches and “huggable”. You can find donation boxes in front of FBISD schools.