Mid Rivers Newsmagazine: JOY FM's Prayer Bears Are Riding Along with Local Police

A small stuffed bear is now part of the gear O'Fallon Police officers carry on shift — and it started with a donation from 99.1 JOY FM’s listeners. Mid Rivers Newsmagazine covered the story, and it's a good reminder that sometimes the smallest gifts carry the most comfort.

Each one of JOY FM Prayer Bears are donated by a listener, prayed over by volunteers, and sent out carrying a promise from God before it ever reaches a child's hands.

They've gone to kids in hospital rooms, in foster care, in homeless shelters, and now, thanks to local police, straight into some of the hardest moments a child can face.

In May, JOY FM listeners made it possible to donate dozens of these bears to the O'Fallon Police Department, giving officers something tangible to hand a child in the middle of a hard moment. JOY FM spokesperson Brandi Reichert explained the heart behind it: "We were so excited to hear from the O'Fallon Police Department when they reached out to have some of the prayer bears. Our prayer is that these bears are a source of comfort for kiddos who find themselves at the intersection of hurt and hope."

Officer Sidney McDonald sees firsthand what that comfort can mean. Kids on his patrol routes go through dark, traumatic moments — witnessing violence, being placed in foster care, being taken from the only home they've known. "You got an 8, 9-year-old kid being taken away from them and being put in a strange home," McDonald said. "The kids don't know how to adjust to that. But what we try to do is we try to ease the pain."

For a child who doesn't want to talk to an adult, McDonald said, the bear gives them somewhere else to put their feelings. It's part of a bigger pattern for him — alongside the badge stickers he's known for handing out on his park patrols — of finding small, tangible ways to let kids know someone cares.

"It's more than just a stuffed animal to me," McDonald said. "The bear acts like a very tangible reminder that recipients are loved, supported and never alone. Police officers, not only do we do policing, we want the kids to know that we care about them."