By. Jenna Johnson
I believe one of the biggest misconceptions about the Moose is that it’s just a social club, because I am continuously learning how it is so much more than that. Moose members are so passionate about caring for others and their communities, and in my opinion, that’s one of the strongest indicators that it’s more than social. I continue to see that caring mission echoed throughout various efforts and programs driven by Moose International and Moose Charities. And, I see it reflected in one of my favorite community programs of the Moose, the Tommy Moose program.
The Tommy Moose program aids in helping children when they are involved in fires, accidents or other traumatic situations, and is aimed to help them overcome fears and anxiety that they face during those scary times. Boxes of Tommy Moose, a 12-inch-tall plush moose doll, are donated to local Law Enforcement, Fire, and other Emergency workers. Then, the dolls are given to those children who encounter a traumatic situation when first responders are on the call. The dolls help to calm children by giving them a soothing object to refocus their attention, while emergency aid is handled.
Coincidentally to my learning about the Tommy Moose program, I learned of a situation where Tommy Moose was used effectively in my own personal circle outside of work. My boyfriend, a paramedic firefighter, had been telling me about his last shift at work when a call in particular caught my attention. He said they had a call for a small three-year old boy who was not feeling well and an anxious mother called 911. He said while trying to administer care to the unruly, ill child, he remembered they had a stock of stuffed moose in the ambulance.
“Stuffed moose?” I said, thinking immediately of Tommy Moose, which I had not even previously mentioned to him before. I asked if the stuffed animal helped the boy and he told me yes – it calmed him quite a bit and they were able to transport him easily to the hospital to get additional care. I smiled and pulled up a picture of Tommy Moose, hoping it was a happy coincidence that his department had received the donated stuffed animals. He said yes! That was the same doll he had in his ambulance, but he wasn’t sure of where they had come from. I said “That’s the Moose! Those are our moose!” After he laughed at me for my excitement over lots and lots of “moose”, I was able to fill him in on the program and how nice I thought it was that he was able to implement it. It was a comforting moment for me to know that the Moose really does reach our communities and I like to think that there’s a little boy out there that hugs his Tommy Moose with a positive memory of his ambulance ride.
To learn more about the Tommy Moose program or to get involved, click here: http://www.tommymoose.org/