Green Bear Project receives $25,000 in donations

JACKSON, Mo. (KBSI)- After the tragic death of a 2-year-old at the hands of his biological parents, foster mom and pediatric nurse Leasa Stone founded a program to teach kids how to speak up about abuse.

Dubbed “The Green Bear Project,” after the child’s beloved stuffed animal, the program is sponsored by Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence (SEMO-NASV) with funding provided by private donations. Its most recent grant is for $25,0000 from the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc.

“The impact Green Bear has had since its founding is impressive,” said Julie Gray, president and executive director of the O’Reilly Automotive Foundation, Inc., the philanthropy arm of O’Reilly Auto Parts. “After seeing a Green Bear program, children report a much better understanding that an unwanted touch is never their fault. We wanted to help continue the important work of preventing further victimization.”

The Green Bear Project programs reach children from pre-kindergarten through high school, with age-appropriate discussions and research-based prevention efforts. For younger kids, there’s a puppet show starring Green Bear himself. Teens get advice on sexual harassment, online safety, and healthy relationships. There are also community programs available so mandated reporters and parents/concerned citizens can get the necessary training to spot the warning signs of child abuse.

“As a forensic interviewer, I have had children who have been disclosing about their habitual abuse – things that have gone on for a long time,” said Kendra Eads, executive director of SEMO-NASV. “I will ask them why they decided to tell. And they will say, ‘Green Bear came to my school and told me it was OK to tell and told me who I could tell.’”

During the 2022-2023 school year, The Green Bear Project reached more than 26,000 kids and adults in Southeast Missouri. Demand for the program continues to grow.

If you’d like to see the Green Bear Project offered at your school, please contact Leasa Stone at lstone@semonasv.org. For more information about The Green Bear Program or to support the program via a donation, please visit www.greenbearmo.org, or for more information about SEMO-NASV, please visit www.semonasv.org. If you have or are experiencing sexual violence, you can call SEMO-NASV’s 24-hour crisis hotline at (877) 820-6278.