They come in various sizes, shapes and colors. Young children cling to them for comfort and older people collect them for show. And now all Lindon schools are asking that you donate them. Short ones, round ones, brown ones and pink ones.

Each year Alpine Educational Support Professionals, known as classified employees in the past, perform a service project that helps benefit the community.

This year they have decided to hold a Teddy Bear Drive to collect stuffed animals for children involved in disasters.

The teddy bears collected will be distributed to local police and fire departments and paramedics for them to give to children when responding to fires, flooding, accidents and domestic calls. The idea to have a teddy bear drive came about after AESP president Kimberly James had a personal experience where a simple teddy bear made quite the difference.

James said her husband was having some medical issues and on one occasion, "a police officer saw my little girls and went out to the trunk of his car and brought them teddy bears. That's where it all came from. It started from that."

James, also the head custodian at Legacy Elementary, said the teddy bears the police officer gave her children were a big help. She said the same comfort they provided her daughters can help other children during a disaster.

"I just think those little bears work miracles," she said. "It distracts them from what's going on. It distracts them from the horrible situation that they are in at that moment and from seeing traumatic things that they shouldn't be seeing. It pulls them away and gives them comfort."

Each elementary and junior high school in Lindon has a donation box set up now through Nov. 17. The AESP ask that you donate teddy bears and any other type of new or gently used stuffed animals.

"I'm surprised at how much stuff we've already seen," James said. "They've really taken hold and we've had a really good response."

All of the bears collected will be presented to local police officers, firefighters and paramedics from all over Utah County at an Alpine District board of education meeting on Dec. 8.

"Right now we hope to present at least 300-400 animals," said Bryan Shoell, head custodian at Lindon Elementary.

This is the first year Lindon schools are holding a teddy bear drive. Shoell said he hopes that there will be a snowball effect and other districts in the state will "jump on the bandwagon" next year.

If you would like to donate a teddy bear to the drive, contact any of the schools in Lindon.

"We see the kids every day, but we don't know what goes on at home," James said. "This is a good way to touch the community."