This holiday season and for a third year in a row, CUPE Saskatchewan President Judy Henley and CUPE 5430 Health Care Workers President Bashir Jalloh launched the union’s presenting sponsorship of the Regina Leader-Post Plush Bear program which gifts huggable plush toys to children in hospital and in ambulances throughout the year. The delivery of this year’s supply of plush toys sponsored by CUPE Saskatchewan took place at the Regina General Hospital pediatrics unit and was featured in the Regina Leader-Post this holiday season.
When children are sick in hospital and experience a medical emergency, CUPE 5430 health care providers are there to care for them – along with plush toy gift from CUPE Saskatchewan to provide comfort and a new huggable friend to help them through their experience receiving care.
CUPE 5430 member Tegan Webber, a child life specialist with Unit 4F Pediatrics of Regina General Hospital, appreciates being able to present a child in hospital with a comforting plush bear or Squishmallow through CUPE Saskatchewan’s sponsorship of the program. “The plush bears continue to bring joy, normalcy and comfort to kiddos in Pediatrics. They represent childhood, play and kindness in an often very stressful and unpredictable hospital life of a child,” says Webber.
The support provided by CUPE Saskatchewan to the Plush Bear program will bring smiles to the face of children experiencing a medical emergency gifting a total of 500 plush toy friends to Regina and area children when they need it most this holiday season and throughout the new year. CUPE Saskatchewan’s sponsorship throughout the past two years has already delivered over 1,000 plush toy friends to children.
“We are proud to be there for children and families as frontline health care providers and by delivering many public services in our community,” says CUPE Saskatchewan president Judy Henley. “Our sponsorship of the Plush Bear program is just one of the many ways we as CUPE members are proud to be there for our community through the work we do — delivering public services across the province, defending public services from cuts and privatization and by advancing workers’ rights,” says Henley.
CUPE members across Saskatchewan provide public services that are vitally important for a safe, healthy and strong community.
CUPE members are on the frontline delivering public services for Saskatchewan people each and every day in health care, K-12 school system and universities, municipalities, public libraries, child care and early learning centres, caring for our most vulnerable in community-based organizations, and in many boards and agencies across the province.
/n.m.cope342