Published: April 18, 2008 10:37 am            

Fair helps ease child's fears

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

A visit to the doctor’s office shouldn’t be scary for a young child, but for many it means the anxiety of prodding, probing or even worse — a shot.

To combat some of those fears, the first Teddy Bear Fair will be held in Nibroc Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Sponsored by the Corbin Kiwanis Club, Baptist Regional Medical Center and Corbin Main Street, the fair will give children ages 10 and younger the opportunity to become familiar with medical professionals, with the comfort of their teddy bears.

“What we’re hoping to do is to show kids not to be afraid of visiting the doctor,” said Debbie Hardin, spokesperson for BRMC. “Everything they do, they do on the teddy bear first.”

Teddy bears and children will be able to visit the nutrition and weight clinic, fitness center, a diabetes awareness center, and the “Germ Buster” house, which shows under a black light what germs are found on a child’s hands.

Children will also get to see medical equipment and hospital employees in a setting that’s not as strange or scary as a doctor’s office.

The idea of the inaugural event came from Kiwanis Club Vice President Stacy Nunley, who participated in a teddy bear fair about 10 years ago as a nursing student in Lynchburg, Va.

“There were a lot of kids and a lot of information, and it was a really good chance for kids to take away some of the fear of nurses, or the equipment, or doctors in general,” Nunley said. “Because it’s so scary to have yourself be looked at, the idea was to have the doctor look at something that was an object of yours, a friend of yours, just to give the kids a chance to see that it doesn’t have to hurt.”

Nunley pitched the idea to the Kiwanis Club and BRMC, both of which jumped on board. From there, the fair grew to include other local businesses.

Every child will go home with a teddy bear, provided by BRMC, and David’s Steakhouse is donating a free hot dog lunch for children. The Kiwanis Club will provide free popcorn and Mr. Gattis Pizza will be giving away coupons for game tokens. The Game King on Main Street has also donated door prizes, and The Garden Spot on U.S. 25E donated fresh vegetables. Summertime Tent has also donated a tent for use by the fair.

Kentucky State Police will have a children’s finger printing booth, and the Whitley County Health Department, Girl Scouts, Drive Smart, Women’s and Children’s Services office and UNITE will also be present.

Hardin is expecting about 150 children Saturday.

“It’s a wonderful project, and there’s no way to describe what an impact it can have on kids,” Nunley said.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, contact 606-523-8584 or visit www.baptistregional.com or www.corbinmainstreet.com.

        

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