Nye County Democrats hold first-ever Teddy Bear Tea
The Nye County Democratic Central Committee (Nye County Democratic Party) hosted its first-ever Teddy Bear Tea in its efforts of supporting the community.
“We feel it was very successful … It was wonderful to see so many people turn out with stuffed animals,” enthused Nye County Democratic Party Chair Ann Underdahl after the event.
Attendees were asked to bring stuffed animals to the tea party held on Sunday, March 22, at the Black Cow Coffee House. The toys were donated to local outreach organization No To Abuse and the Nye County Sheriff’s Office so children in the community could receive them during times of need.
“It doesn’t have to be something big,” Underdahl continued. “To a child, one of those little animals could make their whole day.”
The Nye County Democratic Party hopes the Teddy Bear Tea becomes a yearly tradition in addition to the other community events the political group plans on organizing.
“If we’ve started something good like this that is pro-community, rather than at each other’s throats and name-calling, I’m all for it,” Underdahl said.
During the Sunday afternoon event, guests enjoyed sandwiches with different kinds of fillings such as cucumber, egg salad, blueberry, beef with dill pickle cream cheese, and pineapple. While mingling with each other, attendees also enjoyed tea, cookies, eclairs, cream puffs, and fresh fruit.
“We’re not out to bash other people,” Underdahl added. “We’re here to remind the people in this community that we’re all here to get along and that being nice doesn’t hurt.”
Vanessa Fernandez and Vickey Balint of Southwestern Wilds were the Teddy Bear Tea’s featured speakers. After guests enjoyed food, Fernandez and Balint discussed the organization dedicated to wild horse and burro advocacy with the audience and shared more about its work.
“The event turned out to be a wonderful moment in time to reach out in our community, benefit each other, and support each other,” Fernandez told the Pahrump Valley Times after the event’s conclusion.
Other notables were also in attendance, including Redell Samuels of the Pahrump MLK Scholarship Foundation, Ms. Senior Golden Years USA Winner Marla Quercia, Fifth Judicial District Court Department 1 Judge Kimberly Wanker, and Democratic Nevada Assembly District 36 candidate Jon Penn Junejo.
“I think showing up to these events, where there’s so much community involvement and there are a lot of different organizations, it’s really important to hear their voice and hear what their stake is in the community,” Junejo explained. “I love that everyone is trying to increase activism and engagement. I think it’s really important to show up for that.”
For more information about the Nye County Democratic Central Committee, visit the group’s Facebook page at Nye County Nevada Democrats.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
