Dolls aim to comfort Pulaski children of deployed military parents

Nearly half of all the students at Pulaski Elementary in Savannah have a military parent who is deployed overseas, according to the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.

To give those students a sense of comfort, Deployment Dolls were designed "as a concrete way to help children cope by keeping an image of their deployed parent close during the day and helping them sleep better at night," stated Sheila Blanco, public information manager for SCCPSS, in a press release. The dolls were distributed curbside to children of military families at the school on Friday, May 15.

"[The dolls] are very good for emotional support, and help the child to remain connected to their deployed parent" said Wendy Marshall, a district family engagement facilitator at Pulaski Elementary. "The child can put their parent's picture in the [clear] pocket of the doll's face and carry it around, cuddle, and sleep with it."

Purchasing the dolls was a collaborative effort that began in December 2019 between the school's PTA and Savannah-based Nine Line Apparel. "The school reached out to see if the company could help fund the purchase of Deployment Dolls for students at Pulaski who currently have a parent deployed," Blanco continued in the release. "Nine Line launched a fundraiser on its website in late February that donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of its R.E.D. (Remember Everyone Deployed) shirts to purchase the dolls." The fundraiser earned enough in just one week to buy 100 dolls for Pulaski students, the release added.

Marshall said that the PTA hopes to purchase more dolls, which cost about $15 each. "There's always going to be a need," Marshall said. "Anyone wishing to make a contribution to help fund the purchase of more Deployment Dolls can do so through the Pulaski Elementary PTA. Checks can be sent to: Pulaski PTA, Pulaski Elementary School, 1001 Tibet Ave., Savannah, GA 31419."

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