Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and are found in all walks of life. They can be first responders that rush in without fear of their own safety, military personnel that fight for our freedom, or they can be ordinary people that always think of others and come to the call to relieve their pain and suffering or calm their fears.

One such person is Taylor Larson Cole. Taylor a hometown Chillicothe girl, is presently a PICU (pediatric intensive care) nurse at St. Francis Hospital. She and her husband, Clayton, have two daughters. 

When Taylor was 8 years old, she spent 9 days in OSF Children’s Hospital. During that stay, she received a bear for Valentine’s Day. That bear, and what it meant at the time, had a lasting effect on her and changed the way she thought about giving to others. She began thinking that it would be great if all the kids in the hospital could get a stuffed animal like she did while they were hospitalized. After talking with her parents, Cuddles with Kindness was born. Taylor began by posting fliers all around her elementary school and encouraging her classmates to donate. That year, she collected 30 stuffed animals. Later, she began partnering with local radio personality Rick Stephenson, who spearheaded a drive at the radio station. That drive brought in hundreds and now thousands of toys each year that they personally hand out to each child. Taylor, along with family and friends pull wagons and wheelchairs full of stuffed animals down the hospital halls to the children each year.

Cuddles with Kindness, which received its non-profit status in 2017, provides a toy to each child in the area hospitals. Taylor tells us, “This is just not a toy, but a way to provide comfort, and also to help keep children calm and take some of the fear away that can accompany illness or accident. Each year at Valentine’s Day, Cuddles with Kindness collects over 5,000 cuddly friends at 50 different drop-off areas around central Illinois. Taylor says their goal is to inspire kindness and compassion, no matter what your age, and that something small like a stuffed animal can be the biggest gift of all. Taylor tells us her parents, Bill and Carol, stockpile the toys at their house in Chillicothe until they deliver them in February. Her parents and her sisters, Erica and Ashley, are on the Cuddles with Kindness board along with Tonya Pape and Leanne Howald.

Through the years, Taylor has received many community awards and accolades. Besides being founder and president of Cuddles with Kindness, she has been a runner with St. Jude, a community volunteer at OSF, and a former Sunday School Superintendent and Sunday School Teacher at First United Methodist Church. She is also a member of the International Honor Society of Nursing. In 2018, she received the Giving Heart Award, which demonstrates outstanding commitment to their community. That same year, she was awarded Chillicothe Citizen of the Year by the Chillicothe Police Department and the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for her volunteer work.

Taylor is still hard at work running the Cuddles with Kindness, and in 2023, she also added another non-profit program called “Sleep Tight” that provides a bear, a book, a blanket, and hygiene items to the Foster Care Crisis Center. This program takes place in the fall each year. There are currently over 400,000 children in the foster care program. Donations can be made year-round, but the main campaign takes place through the months of September and October. Taylor tells us, “We always take donations, and you can sign up to be a sponsor.” For more information about these programs, you can visit CuddlesWithKindness.org. where you can also sign up for her newsletter.

Even with being a busy wife, mother, foster mother, and nurse, she finds time to keep her programs going to benefit the children. Selfless people like Taylor are rare, and we are proud to call our very own Chillicotheon Taylor a hero.