How a North Texas mother is helping law enforcement help others

DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – One North Texas mother is making it her mission to not let any family go through the agony of losing a child in a traumatic way without law enforcement being armed with a tool to help comfort grieving children. 

April 11, 1998 is a day Denice Hannan will never forget. 

"That day our lives changed forever," said Hannan. 

She was driving with her two young daughters in the car when they were involved in a major crash—her 5-year-old daughter Alana died on scene. 

"However my 6-year-old daughter Haley remained in the car all six flips, landed on its roof and she crawled out on her own," added Hannan. 

At the time, police didn't have anything to comfort her frightened, surviving daughter, so Denice felt compelled to make a change. 

She started Alana's Gift, with a mission that arms first responders stuffed animals to take with them on patrol in the event a young child needs extra comfort. 

"We just want to reach as many people as we can to provide comfort and let them know that there's hope," said Hannan. 

On Thursday, she delivered over 300 stuffed animals to the Dallas County Sheriff's Office thanking them for the tough job they do with the hope these furry friends can help minimize a child's trauma, while building a bond between them and the community. 

"If you walk up to a child who is experiencing trauma and you make a friend with them and you give the a stuffed animal, that child is going to remember that gesture from law enforcement and you've made a friend," said Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown. 

All of the stuffed animals are donated. 

To date, Alana's Gift has handed out over 15,000 stuffed animals over the past four years, turning her loss into a legacy of helping others. 

"There is so much good that has come out of this that it's really turned our tragedy into something beautiful and i never thought I'd be able to say that. 

If you would like to donate a stuffed animal or just learn more about this program—you can visit the website here.