May, 2008
In an overwhelming display of generosity, more than 14,000 items were donated to Sheriff Dart’s first annual stuffed animal drive. They were to be distributed to children who attend court hearings, receive services from the Public Guardians Office and those helped by Children’s Home and Aid. The response was so overwhelming that even incarcerated mothers at the Cook County Jail were provided with beanie babies to give to their visiting children.
Alyssa Gomez, age 7, sits in the middle of a small sampling of the stuffed animals she collected at her school, Holy Family in Shorewood, and donated to Sheriff Dart’s first annual stuffed animal drive. Alyssa’s father, David Gomez, is a Captain at the Cook County Jail.
Assistant Chief Louis Sbarbaro and Sergeant Margaret Waldron (background) stand among the thousands of stuffed animals donated at the Skokie Courthouse as part of Sheriff Dart’s first annual stuffed animal drive.
