SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – When Jennifer Elswick joined Mercy in 2001 and started helping plan the annual Teddy Bear Rally, it quickly became one of her favorite community events.
For more than two decades, Mercy and Dickerson Park Zoo co-hosted the event, which was a fun and interactive way for kids — and their teddy bears — to experience the zoo while also picking up health and safety tips from Mercy team members who patched up bruises, tears and minor injuries to the cherished bears, according to a Mercy press release.
“This event was always a huge draw for kids, and it was so much fun to participate in,” Elswick said in the release. “I even brought my own kids when they were young, and it was just a joy to watch all these kiddos wander around the zoo with their teddy bears while our team taught them about everything from the importance of helmets to hand hygiene.”…