BRADENTON, Fla. — On Monday, April 30, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, with help from Amazon, donated 1,755 teddy bears to benefit Child Protection Services through the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office brought a large truck on Monday to pick up the stuffed animals that were collected during a drive from April 2 – April 30 in observance of Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Amazon challenged their employees to donate after a Manatee County Clerk of the Court employee told her friend, who works for Amazon, about the drive they were spearheading.
“The idea for a teddy bear drive in the office really took off,” said Angel Colonneso, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. “Now, we’ll be able to provide law enforcement with teddy bears to comfort children during a very difficult time in their life. We’re so pleased that this drive was so successful, and we were able to contribute these to a great cause. It certainly surpassed all of our expectations.”
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office plans to put the teddy bears into patrol cars so that deputies can hand them out to children during routine calls.
“These bears are going to help with a wide variety of needs for children,” said Mark Morie, a lieutenant with Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. “We are so grateful to the Manatee County Clerk’s Office and Angel for reaching out and giving us the extra resources to help console children on these tough calls.”
About the Manatee County Clerk of the Court
The Florida Constitution established the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller as a public trustee, independently elected to protect public funds and public records while executing the functions of Clerk of the Circuit Court, County Comptroller, Treasurer and Auditor, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners and County Recorder. The Clerk oversees a staff of more than 275 people, responsible for performing nearly 1,000 constitutional or statutory functions or duties, representing the broadest and most diverse mantle of responsibility of any locally elected official. The citizens of Manatee County elect the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller to a four-year term. Currently, Angelina M. Colonneso serves as the Clerk of the Court. For more information, call 941-749-1800 or visit www.ManateeClerk.com.