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Stuffed toys: Russ Bartholomew of Sutherlin has more than 3,000 Ty Beanie Babies. He sends a few at a time to soldiers in Iraq to give to Iraqi children.
SUTHERLIN -- Stuffed toys might seem insignificant in a war-torn country like Iraq, but to Sutherlin resident Russ Bartholomew, a plush teddy bear could prove the key to peace.
With a collection of about 3,000 Ty Beanie Baby toys, Bartholomew is working to help U.S. soldiers overseas create bonds with the local children.
"The way to get these people to value our side is through the children," Bartholomew said while sitting in his RV at the Timber Valley SKP park in Sutherlin, where he's summered for the past 15 years with his wife, Jeannine. They spend winters in Arizona.
Having heard stories from around America about people shipping toys for soldiers to give to children in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bartholomew felt the urge to act. He's collected Beanie Babies for the past few years, originally for his granddaughter, but later as a hobby.
He hopes that if the children can learn early on that Americans are looking out for their best interest, they will be more accepting as adults.
"There's an awful lot of the Iraqi people that are good people," he said.
Cpl. Kenneth Flick of Roseburg's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, Charlie Company, who spent about a year in Iraq with other local guardsmen, said offering gifts to children overseas seemed to help quell the worries of parents. It showed that the soldiers were there for the sake of the people.
"That does really help," he said.
Bartholomew believes not enough attention is paid to the positive effects soldiers are having in Iraq.
They're building hospitals and schools and helping replace infrastructure, for example, but "That doesn't seem to make the news too well," he said.
With a collection of about 3,000 Ty Beanie Baby toys, Bartholomew is working to help U.S. soldiers overseas create bonds with the local children.
"The way to get these people to value our side is through the children," Bartholomew said while sitting in his RV at the Timber Valley SKP park in Sutherlin, where he's summered for the past 15 years with his wife, Jeannine. They spend winters in Arizona.
Having heard stories from around America about people shipping toys for soldiers to give to children in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bartholomew felt the urge to act. He's collected Beanie Babies for the past few years, originally for his granddaughter, but later as a hobby.
He hopes that if the children can learn early on that Americans are looking out for their best interest, they will be more accepting as adults.
"There's an awful lot of the Iraqi people that are good people," he said.
Cpl. Kenneth Flick of Roseburg's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, Charlie Company, who spent about a year in Iraq with other local guardsmen, said offering gifts to children overseas seemed to help quell the worries of parents. It showed that the soldiers were there for the sake of the people.
"That does really help," he said.
Bartholomew believes not enough attention is paid to the positive effects soldiers are having in Iraq.
They're building hospitals and schools and helping replace infrastructure, for example, but "That doesn't seem to make the news too well," he said.
The colorful little toys, which soldiers have found easy to carry in their pockets, are also meant to provide a glimmer of happiness for children surrounded by trauma. It's similar, Bartholomew said, to American police giving children toys to hold at crime scenes.
Jeannine Bartholomew agreed, saying the Iraqi and Afghani children have witnessed too much heartache and tragedy.
"They go through a lot over there, those children," she said. "They see a lot."
Flick said during his time in Iraq, he often saw children's faces light up when the soldiers gave them anything from pencils to candy.
"They'd always be excited even with the smallest gifts," he said.
Russ Bartholomew has already shipped four boxes filled with 20 Beanie Babies each. Another 300 Beanie Babies are ready to go. Shipping is limited by funding, though, as each box that size costs $7.70 to send.
That's why he's calling on the community to donate Beanie Babies or pitch in for shipping costs, setting up several collection boxes around the county.
He plans to send as many of the 3,000 toys -- that's not counting his personal collection of about 1,400 -- as he can.
Because of his roots as a Korean War veteran who served with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, most of the toys have been sent to that group now in Iraq. But he hopes to find more people to send them to so they can be spread around.
"I'm always looking for a new name to send a box," he said.
* You can reach reporter Chelsea Duncan at 957-4246 or by e-mail at cduncan@newsreview.info.
Jeannine Bartholomew agreed, saying the Iraqi and Afghani children have witnessed too much heartache and tragedy.
"They go through a lot over there, those children," she said. "They see a lot."
Flick said during his time in Iraq, he often saw children's faces light up when the soldiers gave them anything from pencils to candy.
"They'd always be excited even with the smallest gifts," he said.
Russ Bartholomew has already shipped four boxes filled with 20 Beanie Babies each. Another 300 Beanie Babies are ready to go. Shipping is limited by funding, though, as each box that size costs $7.70 to send.
That's why he's calling on the community to donate Beanie Babies or pitch in for shipping costs, setting up several collection boxes around the county.
He plans to send as many of the 3,000 toys -- that's not counting his personal collection of about 1,400 -- as he can.
Because of his roots as a Korean War veteran who served with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, most of the toys have been sent to that group now in Iraq. But he hopes to find more people to send them to so they can be spread around.
"I'm always looking for a new name to send a box," he said.
* You can reach reporter Chelsea Duncan at 957-4246 or by e-mail at cduncan@newsreview.info.
Collection points
Six collection points have been set up for donations of toys or money to help with shipping costs. They are:
• Rosepoint Cottage, 4880 Grange Road, Green. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 679-4860. • Church of the Nazarene, 385 Thompson Road, Winston. 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday-Friday. 679-9726. • No Good Johnny's, 2673 N.E. Diamond Lake Blvd., Roseburg. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. 229-1900. • Sutherlin First Assembly of God Church, 764 E. Central Ave., Sutherlin. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Special collection Aug. 27. 459-2587. • Calapooia Free Methodist Church, 333 Church Rd., Sutherlin. 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday. 459-2557. • Russ Bartholomew, 800 S. State St. No. 122, Sutherlin, OR 97479. 459-8935. |
