PARAGOULD, AR (KAIT) - After the community in Paragould was hit hard by the loss of multiple children, one officer’s actions have given many grieving individuals hope.
“When innocence is touched like that, that is heavy,” said Chris Bunch, corporal and school resource officer for the Paragould School District. “The hardest of people will be humble. I have seen several messages of people saying they are just going to hold their children as tight as possible.”
Bunch was reading a book to his 3-year-old son when he got the news about the death of Dacota Chamberlain.
“I knew him,” said Bunch. “The first thing you want to do is go into shock but we in this position do not have time to get emotional like that. You want to go tend to their emotional wound as quickly as possible as best you can so I made myself available and treated them the way I would want to be treated. With love.”
Bunch was called to the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center to assist with several classmates, family and loved ones.
“When I saw the group of children at the hospital sitting on the ground you can tell they were in shock,” said Bunch. “The right thing to do is to give them a touch of innocence.”
Being in touch with children most of his career, Bunch then proceeded to give teddy bears he had in his trunk to the kids.
“It is just tender,” said Bunch. “It is kind. It is innocent like they are and you want to let them know I see your innocence. I feel it. I want you to know I love you.
Bunch said this incident hit close to home for him because all he could think about was his very own children.
“My 21-year-old daughter has a rare tumor and then there is my 3-year-old son,” said Bunch. “All I could wonder is what if that was my child and I am sure many parents out there are thinking the same thing but thank God for this community.”
Bunch was later recognized on social media for his great act of kindness at the hospital, which he said he had no idea touched so many.
“When you do what you are called to do such as meet the need, you do just that,” said Bunch. “You don’t do it to be recognized. You have to meet the need and that was all that was on my mind.”
No, Bunch wants everyone, especially the family to know that the world is not all full of pain and suffering.
“What I want them to know going forward is that you are not alone even when you feel alone you are not alone,” said Bunch. “I believe that with all my heart. There are people who love you and if you just let them they will love you and there is hope. There is a God and he is good. Not all people are good but he is good.”
If you would like to make a donation, a GoFundMe account has been set up for the Chamberlain family.
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