TEDDY TOTAL OVER 2200
THANKYOU

Just a recap so it stays at the top. I am trying to get teddy bears to send to the children who have lost everything due to Hurricane Katrina, a new best friend for hope n hugs. If you can send a bear please send to the address at the top of the page, follow the progress as the bears head south.......................

Bears bearing south !!!!!!!

Finally finally I am able to report that the bears are on their way south and will be there and distributed in time for Christmas. I cannot think of a nicer present for all those who are still suffering the effects of the devastation in the region.

When this project started I intended to somehow get together 100 bears to ship out to those small children so overwhelmed by a situation they couldn't possibly understand just to make them see there was still good and caring in their world. I had no idea that, thanks to the efforts of friends and strangers who took up my cause, the response to the cry "send a bear" would be so totally AWESOME! Due to your efforts we have collected over 2200 teddy bears and consequently the logistics in shipping them south became a much more "interesting" affair! We have had to contend with the likes of FEMA requiring paperwork and the sheer size of the task (we loaded SIX SKIDS of teddys onto the truck as seen in the photo above). The bears were finally loaded on to a trailor on Wednesday of this week - this is a co-ordinated effort with Salvation Army and other organisations and was also loaded with childrens toys and school supplies from Erie and Titusville PA.

The trailor is now on route to Biloxi, Mississippi, to arrive and be distributed before Christmas. The news from there is that the needs of the children are as great as ever and three months after the disaster there are still children with nothing - so these efforts are going to be what make many childrens Christmas (also showing them that though the media has moved on to other stories they are not forgotten) so in the end the timing is perfect!

I would like to take this opprtunity to thank all the many wonderful people, friends and strangers, who have made the dream I had one day back in September turn into something truly amazing. Firstly my sister-in-law Linda (without whom I could not have achieved anything this big) for storing, sorting and not keeping all those bears she saw and fell in love with, Fred Harris in Oil City (who one day I hope to meet and thank for all his help) Engles Trucking who are moving the bears south, and the Salvation Army who as ever have assisted where needs are greatest and all the others who have made this possible who I never got to meet or thank.
But most of all the thanks is to all those friends and strangers who donated a bear without whom this couldn't have happened - without you each and every child who recieves a Teddy and Hope for Christmas would not have that new friend to Hug for a lifetime THANKYOU

(Hopefully we will have pictures in the weeks ahead of their arrival)

Ewww I see Sponge Bob

Well as you can see the teddys (and other cuddlys) still keep arriving - this is a photo call of new arrivals in the last few days. All the other bears are now packed and ready to depart in the hope that in the next few days the appropriate paperwork will come through for their journey south.

Just a reminder though that at the moment we are still accepting new travellers so please continue to send the bears

So what do a LOT of bears look like?

Ok I have to admit this does look like a lot of bears and dogs and other strange cuddly things (and Tigger is still on the window). It's just utterly amazing how, what seemed like a crazy idea one night in bed, has tured into this truly amazing cuddly mountain - and this isn't all of them. But of course I have to say there is still some space left for more, so keep them coming (I will stop when my sister-in-law can no longer get into her warehouse to work) for every bear you can send we WILL find the child who wants to love it.

Angels and Bears

Pictured in the photo amongst the 498 teddys (yup someone DID count them) are 3 of the members of the Oil City First Church of God, Bonnie Ellis, Fred Harris and his son Max. Fred and his son, Max have launched a "Hands on - Kids Helping Kids campaign" to supply young hurricane victims with new toys - hence their interest and collaboration with our "Teddys for Hope". Fred is instrumental in organizing the transportation with the trucking line who has volunteered a tractor-trailer and driver. Fred told us tonight that as soon as they secure the proper permits, they will be travelling south to distribute what they have collected along with our teddys. They want to actually "put the toys and teddys in the hands of the children", that's why they are securing the proper permits with FEMA (not quite as easy as it sounds!) - they don't want to just drop off the stuff and leave it in hopes it will get distributed, they want to be sure it does. We have also heard that Venango Video (the local Oil City/Franklin TV station) is hoping to travel south with them and video the distribution. 185 of the bears above were collected by the children and parishoners from the church, the other 313 were collected at UPMC NW Medical Center thru the efforts of the Oil City Ministerium,in a collection organized by the hospital Chaplain, Jane French.

I cannot thank the church for all they are doing both in their collection of bears and in their help in making sure all 2000+ WILL get to where they are most needed Angels and Bears together what a combination!

Stowaway Stowaway .......................

Having had Tigger joining the fun last week this week we discovered someone else trying to sneak south amongst the teddys. Ok so he has lots of fur and BIG hug me hug me eyes, so perhaps he really did think he could pass it off and get sent south. Unfortunately, Buxie the cat, is pretty high maintenance with an enormous appetite but more importantly loved way to much at home to be allowed to head south. So nice try, but you just guard them till they are ready to leave.

The best news of all though is this weekend the teddy total has passed TWO THOUSAND BEARS which is so far beyond expectations it defies any other words but THANK YOU !!!! and of course a reminder that yes we are still collecting so keep them coming.

Please don't return to sender

Not all the bears have an easy journey just getting to the start line! The small brown bear set off from Virginia two weeks ago, he wasn't actually going far on his first leg as he was only headed for my home here in Ohio. The thing was that first leg was going to be his hardest, a week after he set off he arrived back where he started in Virginia!! The problem being a postal service that failed to realise the poster hadnt meant "Lane" but "Drive" so instead of using a little initiative they took the easy option and returned it to sender! Of course every tale has a happy ending, correctly re-addressed he grabbed his two friends seen here and came back as a threesome and as can be seen here they all arrived safely a couple of days later. So for persistence in the face of adversity this little bear so far wins the prize and as can be seen he got a few English chocs for his efforts - hmmm if they all came back multiplied by three maybe we should send them all back "return to sender" Only joking once more I say thank you to all the contributors out there
and please keep them coming.

Stocking up on English chocs before the onward journey !!

Truly Unbelievable !!!

Each time I post, the adjectives are harder to find, I started this "little" project with a wish to collect 100 teddy bears to send to the victims of Hurricane Katrina - I wasn't sure i could do it, I thought I was crazy (been said before!) and here I am three weeks and almost 1200 bears later and I am almost lost for words (now that is a first!). With thanks to all you good people who have read this, passed on the word, and posted your bears there just aren't true words of thanks. And still the bears keep coming - we already know since the count was taken Friday we have had more bears delivered so expect that total to rise again Monday. I have put a bear total at the top and even when I'm not posting a daily photo call and update I am updating that total.

As for the bears reaching their final destination, please don't think nothing is happening. We are liasing with a church group who are taking a relief convoy down to the area, all their shipment are goods specifically for the children and they are more than happy both to take the bears but to actually distribute them. The minister involved formerly worked in the region and is working with churches in the area to make sure when the bears and everything else arrives it goes exactly where it is needed most. I'm sorry if I sound at all vague but I am trying to make sure that all information we post here is up to date and accurate. Just believe that we have been assured these bears are needed, going to find welcoming arms and make someone very needy very happy. As more firm details are available I will up date.

Which only leaves me to say once more keep the bears coming and thank you

Ok I have had a nightmare tonight posting this picture but I was determined and here it is!! This is the majority of the bears that arrived last week and the only word is WOW !! I have to admit that on first examing the picture when my sister-in-law sent it up from the warehouse my only thought was "Where's Waldo?" (that translates to Where's Wally to all you Brits reading this) my eye just happened to be drawn to a little tigger and thats what I thought - hey when you pass one thousand bears you start to have wierd thoughts every now and then ............ but I lay a pound to a penny you are now looking for Tigger !!!

Where's Tigger?