Where Bear Traveled raises awareness of abuse

Where Bear Traveled is a new fun thing for this blog. It combines this blogger's love of traveling with my passion for raising awareness of sexual and domestic violence.

Statistics tell us that 1:3 women and 1:6 men will be victims of abuse in their lifetime. Teddy bears are the ambassadors that represent all things good. They are perfect traveling companions, give comfort and are a constant friend. 

The bears are traveling with me to make the point that abuse happens everywhere. They will show up in photos of restaurants, meetings, at parks, future bus trips and on many other journeys. It will be a lot of fun. 

This photo of Where Bear Traveled was taken at the Panera Bread in Farragut, TN. We had a great time meeting a friend for lunch.

Look for us to visit restaurants, Tennessee State Parks and lots of other places. Readers are welcome to suggest ideas by leaving a comment or by sending us an email.

Purple is the awareness color of abuse. Each of our stuffed friends will be sporting a big purple bow. The Where Bear Traveled critters may not utter a word but they say a lot.

Adventures of where bear traveled can be hard on a little bear. His or her final adventure will be to a forever home. Bear and 2-3 items of memorabilia from his trips will be put in a reusable tote bag. Then all the times will be given to a child or youth who needs some extra comfort. 

We'll let you know when each one is adopted. We may be able to share the final state where bear traveled to the forever home but not always. 

Hopefully, you'll enjoy following our adventures as much as we enjoy traveling. The answer to where this bear traveled so far is Knoxville, TN. I can't wait to see where else he gets to go. Can you?

Visit often to see where bear traveled next. Or, follow us on Twitter @gaylecrabtree.

Use this link about domestic violence for stats like these below and more information.

• On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day.
• Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.
• Three in four women (76 percent) who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 said that a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, or date committed the assault.
• Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year to three million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.