When our military men and women deploy, the loved ones they leave at home include children . . . and that’s why there’s a company putting in an extra effort of kindness to help.
“Hug-a-hero” doll giveaway was started by a photography and design studio called Dyal Studios — located in Jacksonville — after many North Carolina troops had been deployed.
They give dolls to kids whose parents are deployed . . . and these dolls have a photo of the child’s deployed mom or dad printed on it.
Tricia Dyal got the idea from her great aunt who made a similar doll for her daughter when Dyal’s husband was deployed, many years ago.
Knowing there’s a strong need among families in the area, the photography studio initially started creating the dolls and giving them away through a drawing . . . offering one doll a week for 12 weeks.
More and more requests came pouring in, and before Dyal knew it, there were over 500 people asking for a doll for their child.
Community members have started leaning in on the idea and sponsoring dolls to be made for kids in the community.
Dyal and her staff are working to figure out how to get more dolls out to more families in need, saying, “I think I’m going to try to team up with the USO or Red Cross to help us distribute the dolls because I don’t think my studio can keep up with the supply and demand.”
She continues, “We definitely want to help more than just Camp Lejeune families . . . It’s a worldwide thing.
Check out the dolls HERE.
