Reno, NV… The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is taking part in the Crisis Call Center’s drive to collect donated teddy bears for victims of sexual assault during the first week of June.

The Crisis Call Center provides support to victims of sexual assault in northern Nevada through their Sexual Assault Support Services.

“One small way we provide support is to offer a teddy bear to the victim,” Sexual Assault Services Program Assistant Alane Thomas said. “We need fuzzy, cuddly bears that are at least one-and-a-half to two-feet long. They should be new or very gently used.”

The Teddy Bear Drive takes place from June 3 to June 7, 2013. During that week, donated bears may be dropped off at the Sheriff’s Office at 911 Parr Blvd. A collection box is located in the public area of the Sheriff’s Records/Civil Division just off the main lobby.

Additional drop off locations include:

Smith’s Grocery Store, 1255 Baring Blvd., Sparks, NV 89434

Smith’s Grocery Store, 175 Lemmon Dr., Reno, NV 89506

Smith’s Grocery Store, 750 S. Meadows Pkwy., Reno, NV 89521

Achieve Fitness, 600 S. Center St., Reno, NV 89507

CrossFit Initiative, 9410 Prototype Dr., Reno, NV 89521

For more information, contact the Crisis Call Center business office at (775) 784-8085.

The Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) advocacy team provides immediate crisis intervention services for survivors of sexual assault, their family members and friends. The SASS program can provide information regarding medical treatment and reporting to law enforcement. They are also able to assist with referrals for financial assistance and long term counseling services. All services provided by the SASS program are free and confidential.

Other Crisis Call Center services include confidential 24/7 services provided by the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Hotline, and Nevada 2-1-1 programs. All services provided by Crisis Call Center are free of charge and available to anyone in any crisis situation. For more information, visit crisiscallcenter.org.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office celebrated 150 years of proud service and community partnership in 2011. Sheriff Michael Haley is the 25th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County. His office continues to be the only full service public safety agency operating within northern Nevada and is responsible for operating the consolidated detention facility, regional crime lab, Northern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, court security, service of civil process, traditional street patrols and Regional Animal Services.
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