Though they’re the subject of criticism and have divided opinion over the last decade, there can no doubting the vital role police officers play in society.
After all, they risk their very lives to keep our streets safe. Sacrificing themselves so that others can live peacefully is simply part of their day to day job. And for the loved ones of these officers? Who knows when a knock at the door will come to deliver bad news.
16-year-old Megan O’Grady knows just what it feels like to live in constant fear of receiving that dreaded visit. Her dad is in the force, and she readily admits that the idea of him putting his life on the line every day is a difficult pill to swallow.
Megan, however, has channeled her anxiety into something not just productive, but truly inspiring. She begins by cutting up officers’ shirts … the result? Well, let’s just say it has the families of other officers asking for the same with their loved one’s shirts as well.
From Cape Coral, Florida, Megan has found a way to steer her worry into a rather creative endeavour. She can relate to other kids who have to live in cop families, and wanted to do something to help them, too.
So it was that when five Dallas officers gave their lives in 2016, Megan came up with the Blue Line Bears idea – one that ensures the families of fallen officers will always have a poignant reminder of the person they lost.
The hand-sewn bears are made out of the officer in question’s uniform, and then delivered by Megan herself to the mourning family.
Megan collects the shirts of fallen officers to make the bears, which include a personalized badge with the person’s last name and number on the tummy.
Talking to CBS, Megan said: “I want them to be able to kind of hold a piece of their loved one again, because the shirts are obviously the most personal part of the job other than the badge itself.”
Thus far, she’s created more than 450 bears and delivered them to 34 different states. What’s more, she’s never asked for a single dime in return: she simply wants to thrive off the feeling of doing what she can to help.
One of her latest deliveries was the largest, sweetest one yet. Watch it play out in the video below:
Teen creates teddy bears out of fallen police officers' uniforms to comfort families
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN: A 16-year-old girl makes these teddy bears out of police uniforms – and she gives them to families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty 💙https://cbsn.ws/2ArcUAc
Posted by The Uplift on Thursday, January 3, 2019
What a beautiful gesture to make at what must be a terrible time for the affected families.
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