Highline, in partnership with Shirlyn Mwangi and the Akin’s Family Foundation, held a teddy bear event to raise awareness and donations for children living in harsh conditions, such as dysfunctional families and poverty. 

They hoped to show appreciation for the children of our community and bring awareness to the major situations that children in America are likely to suffer from and tell about what impact it has on them from childhood all the way to adulthood. 

Pamela Nunez-Ardon, a running start student, was asked what her favorite part of the event was, she said, “I really liked how we got to use our creativity for a really good cause.” 

Those in attendance had opportunities to decorate a teddy bear sized shirt with gems and glitter, draw on designs with markers, and even glue patches onto the shirt. All of the teddy bears, with their newly decorated shirts, were then donated to children organizations across the region. (Beside decorating a teddy bear shirt you could also have some of the cookies that they had for the event.)

Shirlyn Mwangi, the organizer of the event, held a presentation about the importance of childhood, and how poverty inhibits that experience. While child poverty is gratefully declining, it still remains higher than previous generations. 

During her presentation, she talked about the organization that they would donate the teddy bears to. The Akin’s Family Foundation works to help children and caregivers who come from disadvantaged households have a greater chance of succeeding over systemic inequality. The Akin’s Family Foundation is dedicated to ending systematic and multigenerational cycles of inequality, working to support children into adulthood. 

Mwangi first thought of doing a program that was focused on talking about issues that children can face, but wasn’t thinking about doing an event. She started with researching events that had a similar premise as hers but couldn’t find ones that she truly liked. 

Then in December, she started looking into children’s organizations to find ways to collaborate and get information. She landed on toys as a factor of donation, as it was convenient for the program and the Highline community. Since she wanted it to be interactive, she decided to go with teddy bears inspired by Build-A-Bear.

Mwangi explained how childhood is an important part of a child’s life because it’s the beginning stage of a person’s biological, psychological, and emotional development. 

These developments are important for a child’s overall growth, affecting their future development. With such importance placed on childhood, it has clear contributions on identity and behavior.

She also talked about how a person’s environment during their childhood is very important. If a child grows up in a less than ideal situation (for example: poverty, family instability, violence and/or lack resources necessary for growth) it can affect them in multiple ways.

Mwangi went on to explain poverty and some of the effects it can have on children and families, like the impact it has on their physical health, social-emotional well-being, and the kind of education that is available to them, often leading to developmental delays, mental health issues, and reduced life opportunities due to limited access to nutritious food, healthcare, and stable housing.

A big point in Mwangi’s presentation was on dysfunctional families and how ongoing conflict, abuse, or neglect can negatively impact development. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, poverty can negatively impact, “physical health, socioemotional development, and educational achievement.”

Children who grow up in a dysfunctional family are likely to suffer from emotional and psychological effects such as low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, a need for approval, anxiety, and depression.

In the end Mwangi’s main goal with this event was to broaden people’s understanding of their local communities and teach others the importance of compassion and community giving.