Giving back - After 28 years, Operation Teddy bear still lifting holiday spirits

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Ellen Hatfield
  • 349th Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  For almost 30 years, the 349th Air Mobility Wing Airmen have been organizing Operation Teddy bear. They give gift bags with school supplies, books, goodies, and, of course, Teddy bears, to Solano County kindergarten children whose holidays might not be so merry and bright.

I couldn't help the tears in my eyes as I looked into those little innocent faces, eagerly awaiting the arrival of "Santa," Chief Master Sgt. Louis Kloeppel, event organizer extraordinaire. My thoughts were on the tragic events in Connecticut, where Dec. 14, a lone gunman massacred 26 people, including 20 children, in Sandy Hook School. The children I visited Dec. 17 at Cleo Gordon Elementary in Fairfield, were wiggly, yet attentive and well-behaved, the teachers gentle but firm.

Operation Teddy bear owes its success every year to our volunteer Airmen "elves," "Santa," and all the generous businesses and donors in our Travis Air Force Base communities. This year, our school visits included Anderson Elementary in Dixon, Cleo Gordon and Fairview in Fairfield, and Markham in Vacaville. Where there is a need, especially for a child, our volunteers continue to make Operation Teddy bear a benchmark for others to emulate.
Please think about joining us next year for this event. The joy brought to these kindergartners is its own reward. Make a difference in the life of a child.