SAN ANTONIO – When children go to camp, they are allowed to bring a special comfort item from home.
Parents know that this is usually a well-loved stuffed animal, often referred to as a lovey or stuffie.
One week ago, raging floodwaters swept away many of those comfort items.
Even first responders rescuing campers at Camp Mystic learned firsthand how precious these items truly are.
“There was one little girl, she asked if she could bring her stuffed animal in, if there was room in the helicopter, and the obvious answer was, ‘yes,’” said Coast Guard rescuer Scott Ruskan.
Soon, parents began posting online, pleading for help in finding those precious items.
“I have several friends that their daughters’ trunks were gone, like everything gone, so anything we can do just to help,” said San Antonio mother, Libby Crawford.
Crawford created a Facebook page called the Camp Mystic Jellycat Reunion Group, named after the popular stuffed animal brand Jellycat.
The idea was born out of a conversation between parents wanting to help one of their own.
“For a mom, we were trying to find a limited edition discontinued Jellycat, and I couldn’t get it in time for the funeral that they needed it for,” Crawford said.
Other local parents jumped into action and found a replacement for the rare Jellycat monkey in time for the funeral.
After that, the Facebook page was born.
“I opened it up, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s over 500 people in here now, like in two days,’” Crawford said.
People who began finding loveys in the debris started posting pictures on the page.
One post showed a drenched stuffed animal, stating, “My four-year-old and I spotted it this morning in Kerrville in the floodwaters.”
Another showed a lovey found in Centerpoint.
“Things have obviously been washed pretty far away,” Crawford said.
A member posted that they’d recovered several loveys and were taking them to a church to clean and organize. They said they’d be posting pictures soon.
Some grateful families are claiming them.
“I feel like I heard that they did find the owner of this one,” Crawford said, pointing to a picture of a colorful bear on the Facebook page.
For the loveys that remain lost, people on the page are lining up to find exact replacements.
Anyone who finds a lovey or is looking for one is asked to post as many details as possible, including the specific brand and listed name on the tag.
For survivors of the floods, these small stuffed animals can help bring back their sense of safety.
“These kids are going through something so horrific and like that no adult could even handle, you know, like if you can just give them one little piece of their childhood back and their innocence, then like let’s try,” Crawford said.
For the parents wading through pain no one should have to experience, reuniting with a lovey could make all the difference.
“I couldn’t even imagine,” Crawford said. “It’s not going bring back your child, but if you just have one small thing to hold on to, (it can) remind you of them.”
More recent coverage of the Hill Country floods on KSAT: