Your Huggy Bears at Work
You donate the money in good faith.....and sometimes wonder, where does it really go?
We thought we'd show you where your kindly sponsored (and much appreciated) Huggy Bear/Bears actually go.
The officers all wanted to express their sincere thanks to those who have graciously helped
support our ongoing Huggy Bear campaign
 October 15th, 2007
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 October 15th, 2007 Isleta Indian Pueblo Police Department
From Left: Officer Robert "Body" Abeyta, Rileah Ringo, Officer Curtis "Rookie" Lucero
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GNU picked me up and we loaded 50 of your sponsored Huggy Bears into her trunk and off we went to the small Indian Pueblo of Isleta, located about 25 miles south of Albuquerque.
This was our 2nd trip to deliver the bears and after having spoken with Mary Ann Abeyta, who has helped us arrange this in the past, we knew that they were excited to have more bears.
Since it was "Domestic Violence Awareness Month", the sooner we could get the bears to them, the better. What a great way to spread the word!
 Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity observed in October, 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. |
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 House with a "HORNO" (Spanish for oven) outside. Many of the homes have 2 or 3 such ovens for baking and you'll find they do most of their cooking outdoors when weather
permits.
(The HORNO is the round/dome in front of the house)
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It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the trip. When we arrived at the Pueblo, of course we got lost. The pueblo is small, the roads are packed dirt with no paving, and are laid out in a strange way. Houses are numbered "House #50, or House #22 and deep in the middle of all the dead-ends, are the governments buildings.
The early settlers adopted the Indian way of living and building adobe (ah-dough-bee) since wood was in such a short supply. Many of the Indians living here still use antennas, no cable and it's rare to find a satellite dish.
The adobe homes are small, some have partially built additions and it's easy to tell that most are done by local tradesmen, not larger professional businesses. The Pueblo likes to support it's own. They have a Post Office, a Senior Center, school and a small park for the children.
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 With no paving, the
dirt is everywhere.
This is a very
poor community. Many homes are boarded up, many crumbling adobe homes are just shells.
Not all homes are like this, but we hope that this gives you an idea of the area and why Huggy Bears are so important.
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But...never fear, your Angels are here!!
 We made it to the police station/government building. This is where tribal court is held too.
Officers Robert Abeyta (a 22 year veteran) and Officer Curtis Lucero (the rookie of 2 years) both assisted us with the bears and told us stories of how they benefited the community.
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 Here you can see a portion of an adobe building where the residents used to live
before. It's
located in
between the
house and the wooden fence.
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Several months ago, a pickup truck, traveling back to the Pueblo along Interstate I-25, ran into trouble. The vehicle stopped running, and the father took off on foot to get help. Meanwhile, the mother and children stayed with the truck. It was dark....and speeding along at 75+ mph another vehicle didn't see the truck along the side of the road and crashed into it.
One child, a little 2 yr old girl, was ejected from the back of the truck and landed about 40 feet away. I don't think any of us could imagine her fears, her pain....and she suffered head injuries as well as internal ones. When the officers arrived, they did the best they could until the ambulance came. The ambulance had to travel quite a distance since this is a long way from a populated area.
To comfort the child, Officer Abeyta gave her a Huggy Bear. He told us that when they were loading the tiny child into the ambulance, she was still clutching her bear. She did survive, but will face months of recovery due to her injuries. We can only hope that her Huggy Bear keeps her company.
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 This is a perfect example of how the tribe lives. A little at a time, if they can, they will build on to the original adobe homes which were nothing more than one large room.Adobe bricks are made from mud mixed w/straw, poured into a wooden square frame and allowed to dry. Once hardened they are stacked to become a home...a fence...a barn...whatever. Adobe homes are cooler in summer and retain heat in winter.
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Mary Ann said that she keeps several Huggy Bears in the government offices with her.
Many times during Tribal Court, the children sit in the hallway. They are scared, and have no idea what is going on. A Huggy Bear is a comfort to them and she said she loves to see the smiles.
But.....Huggy Bears are not just handed out to children. Imagine our surprise when told that!!
Recently, a 79 year old woman had a fall. The officers attempted to comfort her, but she was quite agitated and fearful. At that age they imagined she could have a stroke or worse while waiting on the ambulance.
Officer Abeyta said that the lightbulb went off in his head and he told her, "I have something for you Young Lady!" Walking to his police car he reached in and pulled out a Huggy Bear which he then walking back, handed the bear to her. He said her eyes brightened and calmed immediately. Beaming like a 5 year old she waited patiently for the ambulance to arrive.
They all had stories, and it warmed our hearts to know that it was all because of you!!
Your donations sponsor a Huggy Bear that will be a comfort in time of need......no matter what age!
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 Now you know!!! The radar gun is disguised!! We were told that they could not use a Huggy Bear here since the kids all wanted one.
So they put in a little animal that would not be so apparent.
 Officer Abeyta showed us his partner!(notice the purple Huggy Bear
in the front seat?)
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Those of you who know me, know that I believe in "signs." White feathers in my car just when they are needed as support, and other little odd things that I take as
a "sign" that things are going as they should.
In fact, on the way down to Isleta Pueblo, GNU and I were talking about the next "Gathering of Friends" which we wanted to hold that coming May. It will be Hawaiian themed and as drove along the highway, in the midst of sand and sagebrush, a van passes us
with a small homemade trailer behind it.
Across the back of the trailer.....were hand painted palm trees. :>))
Talk about dumbfounded!
So after we deliver the bears and are walking to GNU's car, we're smiling, happy and filled with a good feeling that our small efforts for PEACE (on your behalf)
might make a difference.
Imagine our surprise as we looked down and lying there in the parking lot...
another sign........
 I'd call that a "sign" wouldn't you? Peace....Riley
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Please ......Donate Now! (use button below to donate through PayPal)
Read about our 1st effort............................................
Your Huggy Bear donations get delivered!
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 POKi and GNU helped distribute the Huggy Bears!
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On May 8th, 2007 three Adrian's Angels headed to Isleta Pueblo to deliver the Huggy Bears that your generous donations bought. Riley, GNU and our POKi (Princess Off-Kilter) loaded up the bears and off they went.
The Pueblo is hard to find, tucked away south of Albuquerque. We got lost several times, and even with directions, we just could not seem to find the Police Station!! Grrrrr. Perhaps some of our Angels (or whoever is up there!) felt sorry for us and thought we needed help...but they helped us in the strangest way.
Suddenly, there was a police car behind us!! Red lights flashing as we pulled to the side of the highway. It was not arranged!! My contact at the Isleta Police Department had no idea what car we would be in....so poor POKi, (who was driving) was facing a hefty fine for speeding. Oh no!
Officer Kenneth Martin came up to the car to find it full of bears...full of hysterical lost Angels...and instead of a ticket, he kindly gave us a police escort to the station. Whew!
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The officers and staff were genuinely pleased and surprised as we presented them
with a Certificate of Appreciation and two huge bags of Huggy Bears!
 From Left:
Officer Tim Zuni, Officer Kenneth Martin, Officer Derek Eteeyan, GNU, Mary Ann Abeyta
and Riley (seated) pose in the Isleta Indian Pueblo Tribal courtroom.
Not shown: POKi and Olivia Caballera who were taking pictures.
To read the letter of thanks from the Isleta Police Department
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Several of the officers told us of the need for the Huggy Bears and how much our donation would be
appreciated by the children of the Pueblo. As we were leaving, the officers were hauling armfuls of
bears out to their cars (pink was a favorite color! LOL) and we were escorted back to the highway
after getting our own hugs of thanks. It was a day to remember and we cannot thank you, the generous
public, who helped us accomplish this!
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