The Bear Pals program delivers those “friends” in the form of soft, cuddly teddy bears, dressed in Assistance League of Riverside t-shirts, to four local hospital emergency rooms. The medical teams report that these Bear Pals help soften the sting of the traumatic time the children are experiencing and often enable the service provider to reach out when other words fail. The Bear Pals program includes Fun Kits (a coloring book, crayons, stickers, and a bendable toy) to help occupy a child’s time while waiting to be seen by hospital personal. Bear Pals additionally reach out to the juvenile court systems to comfort and support children in stressful situations.