The SLO Blues baseball team donated teddy bears to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center's pediatric unit Wednesday, November 30 at 10 a.m.
For every double play that occurred in this past Blues season, two teddy bears were earmarked to be provided to children at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center.
Sierra Vista's pediatric unit received 62 teddy bears. This pediatric department at Sierra Vista is the only one in San Luis Obispo County.
The general manager and co-owner of the SLO Blues, Adam Stowe says the idea of giving teddy bears to kids in hospitals was when he was at Tulane University, and he brought the idea with him to the SLO Blues.
"The bears are an attempt to bring a little bit of light to a youngster who might be having a rough day here at the hospital," Stowe told KSBY. "We know that they are always scared when they are coming to the ER and if we can give them a bit of comfort that's all it's about."
Emily Hosfort, director of women and children services for Tenant Healthcare says it was heartwarming to see the whole community come together for the patients who received teddy bears.
"It just really warms the heart to be able to see the donations from the community that comes into the toy drive through donations of teddy bears for the pediatric patients that we have here at the hospital," Hosfort told KSBY.
Officials from the SLO Blues team say they hope to keep donating teddy bears to children in the hospital in the future.
