Daphne chaplain back from Israel after mission to comfort children of war
DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) — When Chaplain Tony Dickey told friends he wanted to go to Israel, friends told him he was crazy. But Dickey says he knew he could help, especially the children in the war-torn country.
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'No human being should have to live in fear every night that it might be their last night here on earth,' Dickey told News 5.
So he helped organize a trip. But he didn't go alone. He shipped three pallets of a stuffed animal called a 'Comfort Cub.'
'When you take the bear and hold it and you squeeze it, it activates the neurotransmitters in the brain to make the good chemicals offset grief, depression, fear,' said Dickey.
He gave away 750 of the weighted teddy bears to children and families in Israel. 'These kids grab these things, run to the bomb shelters, and it brings them peace,' he said.
Dickey has been back home for just over a week. He got out one day before Iranian bombs started falling, another reason Israel is never far from his mind. 'Every person over there is going through this. They don't deserve to live a life of terror every night, wondering if a rocket is going to come through their house, come through their shelter.'
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Peace has always been hard to find in the Middle East, but a little comfort is making it a bit more bearable, at least for now.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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