Children’s smiles lit up the pediatric ward of the Selma’s local hospital Friday as Alabama State Troopers hand-delivered stuffed teddy bears to the all the children in the ward.

Officers from the Alabama State Trooper Association visited Vaughn Regional Medical Center to handout Trooper Teddy Bear dressed in blue mini versions of the traditional State Trooper cap and a shirt with the organization’s name on the front. During the holidays, the association visits hospitals across the state delivering the stuffed animals to children who can’t spend Christmas at home with their family.

“We try to put a smile on a child’s face,” Corporal Charis King of the Alabama State Trooper Association said. “It’s very important, because children are the future, and we have to show that police officers are here to help.”

Although the troopers make special trips during the holiday season, they give the bears to any children that have witnessed or been involved in traumatic life events, such as an automobile accident.

King, who has been participating in the program for two years, said the bears do more than put a smile on a child’s face. He said the bears tend to calm children in the most terrifying situations.

Although the bears were given to the children, the joy quickly spread to the families of the kids.

Selma resident Latandera Moultrie witnessed her 2-year-old nephew Deandea Harris receives a teddy bear from the organization. She thought it was kind gesture for the men to give Harris, who has been the hospital for the past two days because of his asthma, an early holiday gift.

“That was so sweet. That’s nice of them,” Moutrie said as her nephew, who was whining moments before the troops arrived, laughed with the bear in his lap.

Anyone interested in purchasing a Trooper Teddy Bear can find them online at www.alabamatroopers.net.