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Some 20 teddies are on the way to the Mercedes, Texas class of Judy Trunnell who died Tuesday, May 5th of Swine Flu. Judy, who delivered a healthy baby girl just before her death, will be deeply missed by her family, fellow teachers at Travis Elementary School and her students. May they all know that our hugs and prayers are with them.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The raging wildfires in Horry County are forcing more people out of their homes as flames encroach upon Carolina Forest.
Fire officials told WMBF News that the entire area of Carolina Bays has been evacuated, and The Farm subdivision is on a voluntary evacuation.
Earlier, officials in North Myrtle Beach say at least 69 homes have been destroyed in North Myrtle Beach as a 15,000 acre wildfire continues to spread throughout northeastern Horry County.
North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley says in addition to the 69 destroyed homes, 29 have also been severely damaged. 45 teddy bears are on the way to comfort the children of families sheltered in the Aquatic and Fitness Center of North Myrtle Beach. Heather Smith confirms that the children are left with nothing, and are so frightened. 
PORT-au-PRINCE, Haiti (NNS) -- Haiti's prime minister arrived aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) April 11 to thank the crew for coming to Haiti to provide medical, dental, veterinary and engineering assistance.
Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis and her staff were shown Comfort's state-of-the-art equipment and asked questions of the ship's medical staff. Pierre-Louis also met with fellow Haitians awaiting treatment, and had the opportunity to give Hugs Across America teddies to children awaiting care. 
Comfort is in Haiti as part of a four- month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean region in support of Continuing Promise 2009.
It is said by Haitian officials that, "There is so much uncontrolled violence associated with gang activity in this part of the country. We provide medical care for up to twelve people a day coming in with gashes, cuts, burns, and machete wounds. The resources we are receiving will sustain our medical supply for over a year to enable care for people after Continuing Promise '09 departs Haiti. Now the Citi Soleil community will understand clearly that Americans are willing to help," said Fritzner. "Everyone is talking about CP09 here. Seeing people in uniform used to be something they feared and now they realize that they are here to help."
The current humanitarian mission will take the ship to seven Latin American and Caribbean nations, including Antigua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama.
Its medical capabilities seem endless: 12 spotless operating rooms for its 20 surgeons, five dental rooms, the most modern scanners and MRIs around, 5,000 units of blood, 1,000 beds and enough boats and helicopters to transport hundreds of patients a day.
The last similar mission for the ship was in 2007. The USNS Comfort is one of only two such ships under the U.S. arsenal. The other is the USNS Mercy, based in San Diego.
Also aboard the ship Saturday were 500 teddy bears. No one was quite sure where they were going, but everyone seemed to know where they came from.
A group of girls from the sorority house Phi Sigma Sigma at Florida International University brought them ship side, packed in boxes. Phi Sigma Sigma is a Chapter of Hugs Across America, a not for profit organization that provides teddies for children in crisis.
The bears were all donated, said FIU senior Catherine Vallin, 21.
''We love to give back,'' she added.
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