Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 26/02) - Three 12-year-old girls are doing their part to help kids cope with trying times.

Range Lake North students Roya Grinsted, Katie Heine and Cara Van Tighem have launched Operation Teddy and it is gaining momentum.

You probably haven't heard of Operation Teddy. It began only a few months ago. At that time the three personalized a teddy bear with items they had knit and sewn themselves and presented it to a baby receiving treatment at Stanton Regional Hospital.

"It was just so sweet," said Roya. "He was so alert and he looked at everybody and smiled."

Having seen the happiness they could bring, the three could not possibly stop there.

Last Friday, during PJ's and Messy Hair Day at the school (which holds such Spirit Days regularly), the three held their first fund-raiser, a bake sale.

They sold cookies, muffins, cupcakes and other edibles they and other teachers and students baked. They sold $194.20 worth of it during lunch hour.

Cara said she was surprised at how successful the event was.

"A whole bunch of people said they couldn't bake, so I didn't think we'd have enough," she said. "But it turned out we had too much."

When they went to return a baking tray to a kindergarten class that had donated cookies, the teacher added another $12.

Then they went to return some muffins leftover from a batch another class had baked. The school's vice principal, also teacher of the class, added another $10.

The student council agreed to match whatever the girls raised, lifting the grand total to $432.40.

The money will be used to buy teddy bears, wool, material and items like toothpaste and shampoo to stuff in socks they will give along with the teddy bears.

"I really like little kids and I've been in the hospital before, so I know how scary it can be," Katie said.

The three plan to give their next Teddy to a child at the Yellowknife Women's Centre.

Another bake sale is in the works for May 10, Twin Day (when everybody gets dressed up as twins or triplets) at the school.