Softies for Mirabel

I stumbled upon the "Softies for Mirabel" project recently while reading the Meet me at Mike's blog. After checking it out I very much wanted to contribute. The Mirabel Foundation provides support to families affected by substance abuse and the softies project aims to give the children a toy, handmade made with love. You can read more here.

I think this charity particularly struck a chord with me as I'd recently been thinking about how very difficult parenting must be when someone has a substance addiction problem. Parenting can be hard enough for anyone, let alone someone with extra challenges.



And then I saw the harrowing and very sad Australian short film "Polly and Me" about the abuse and neglect suffered by some children in our communities. The film aims to raise awareness for this very important issue.

Something I took away from the forum hosted on the ABC after the screening of the short film was that it's OK to look and think and check to see if a child is alright. The paediatrician at the forum heart-breakingly told of how widespread abuse and neglect are, and urged people to get involved if they suspect a child is in danger. For so long our society has had a 'don't get involved' attitude when it comes to domestic violence and child abuse.



I made an extra bear while making a couple for the school fete, especially for 'Softies for Mirabel'. I hope this sleepy bear made with love brings a little bit of comfort to a small person.