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Casino donates stuffed animals for children in ambulances

Waterloo Fire Rescue received 376 stuffed animals purchased for a promotional campaign earlier this year

By Jeff Reinitz
The Orange County Register

WATERLOO, Iowa — The local casino has donated a truckload of monkeys to keep children company on ambulance rides.

After the Year of the Monkey on the Chinese calendar was ushered in in February, the Isle Casino Hotel was left with 376 surplus stuffed monkeys.

“They are excess inventory from a promotional giveaway that we had done earlier this year. We didn’t have a better way to used them, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to our community and contribute in a way to do something good,” said Jill Mejia, director of marketing operations for the Isle.

She said Isle officials had heard fire and departments sometimes keep stuffed animals in their vehicles to give to children who may be involved in emergency calls they are dispatched to.

“We thought it would be a great way to donate those,” Mejia said.

Isle employees dropped off the stuffed monkeys at Waterloo Fire Rescue on Monday, and fire officials said they plan to equip ambulances with the monkeys.

Copyright 2016 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier