Yesterday was National Teddy Bear Day, and Kentucky State Troopers made a visit to University of Kentucky's Golisano Children's Hospital to deliver some special stuffed bears.

Our Mackenzie Spink tells us more about Kentucky State Police's Trooper Teddy project.

Hospital stays can be a challenging, sometimes lonely experience for children and their families.

Kentucky State Police wants families facing medical challenges to know there's a community cheering them on.

Our troopers are here to bring a little joy and comfort and encouragement to some very special children.

For many of these children.

Being in a hospital can be a difficult and sometimes frightening experience.

We hope that when a trooper walks through their door and hands them a trooper Teddy, that it gives him a moment to smile.

It gives them something to hold on to, and a reminder that there are people across Kentucky who care about them.

You are strong, you are brave, and you have an entire community cheering you on.

The Children's Hospital says that having something tangible, like a teddy bear can offer an emotional anchor for children experiencing hardships.

It's always important that when children are experiencing stress or trauma or something that is outside of the ordinary, that they have a comfort item.

Children can attach to these items and feel, connected and feel safe because it is something familiar for them, so that they don't have to think about all the things that are going on.

But they can cuddle, they can hug, they can have something familiar that lets them know.

Number one, there are people thinking about them, and number two, that they're safe.

Every year on National Teddy Bear Day, the state troopers deliver bears around the state.

But the trooper, Teddy program happens all year long.

Kentucky troopers often keep bears with them to make a positive connection with the children they may encounter in traumatic situations.

We also try to equip every trooper who's patrolling in their cruiser.

We try to equip them with at least one teddy bear that they can keep with them at all times.

In the event that they may encounter a child in crisis, or maybe had a bad day, been involved in a wreck?

Maybe had unfortunately, sometimes negative encounter with law enforcement where we've had to make an arrest with mom or dad or family member.

You know, you can imagine how traumatic that would be for a child.

So it doesn't fix everything.

We understand that, but it gives him a moment where hopefully it it's something that, as we mentioned earlier, something they can hold on to.

And we're trying to to ease the burden or ease the pain that that child may be experiencing on that day.

The Trooper Teddy program was started in 1989 by Kentucky First Lady Martha Wilkinson.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Mackenzie Spink.

On National Teddy Bear Day.

KSP troopers don't just visit children.

They also deliver bears to senior citizen centers and VA hospitals around the state.