Scrubby Bear begins on campus

After a three-year hiatus at Georgia College, the Scrubby Bear program is up and running again. Scrubby Bear at Georgia College is the only university-run chapter of the national campaign developed by the American Red Cross.

The Scrubby Bear program aims to teach children ages 4 to 7 years old how germs are spread, how to prevent the spread of disease and how to properly wash their hands.“It’s amazing how many people do not know how to wash their hands properly,” said Will Long, senior community health major and president of Scrubby Bear at Georgia College.

Starting this semester, volunteers for the university’s Scrubby Bear chapter will visit local Baldwin County pre-K to third grade classes to do a set program about germs and hand washing, in addition to having monthly to bi-monthly events on and off campus.

Student volunteers can expect to earn service hours while teaching children the importance of good hand washing habits in preventing diseases such as infectious diarrhea, hepatitis A and colds.

“It’s an opportunity to work with kids and the community in a specific health area,” Long said.

Submitted by Tim Vacula

Leah Glazier, senior community health major and Scrubby Bear volunteer, teams up with Scrubby the Bear at a Georgia College basketball game to educate children about the dangers of germs and the importance of proper hand washing.

He encourages students to volunteer and is confident that if they do so, the program will prosper and inspire other college campuses to adopt the program as well.

“I saw the program as a good way to work with kids and help them learn about germs and how to avoid getting sick from them,” said sophomore pre-early education major Candace Cown who began volunteering for Scrubby Bear this semester.

Cown said she has seen a positive reaction from both kids and their parents, who enjoy the service Georgia College is offering them, free of charge.

The campaign’s message is enforced by Scrubby the Bear, whose motto is “Don’t get sick, wash up quick!” Scrubby the Bear is the organization’s personal mascot, and Georgia College’s chapter received its own Scrubby the Bear costume through donation. In addition, Walgreen’s sponsors Scrubby Bear at Georgia College and donated approximately 2,500 bottles of hand sanitizer to the organization. All other funding is donated as well.

Scrubby Bear volunteers have gotten off to a promising start, hosting various events on and off campus including a Germ Elimination Day at the Milledgeville Mall, a black-light germ demonstration at the Deep Roots Festival and an appearance by Scrubby the Bear at Georgia College’s basketball game against Armstrong Atlantic. Scrubby Bear Germ Elimination Officers and volunteers will host another official event, Strike Out Germs with Scrubby Bear, on Saturday, Feb. 26 during the Georgia College baseball game.

Posted by Vanessa Whited on Feb 10 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.