Teddy Bears with Love participants have been bringing holiday smiles to children for the past nine years. Now, the members of the organization have a reason to smile as well.
In March, Teddy Bears with Love received the honor of Outstanding External Program by the Association of Student Advancement Programs (ASAP), an organization run by students.
This month, the Connecticut Department of Higher Education recognized the Teddy Bears with Love program as one of the top Group Community Service events in Higher Education in Connecticut.
The Student Alumni Association (SAA) started Teddy Bears with Love in 1998 and has since collected and donated thousands of bears to various organizations and programs in the Fairfield area.
This year, the program was led by co-chairs Jackie Mautone ’08, Jenn Gaines ’08 and Meg Hallissy ’10, SAA vice president of special events, with the help of a dedicated committee.
Hallissy said SAA was thrilled to receive the award because the recognition helps validate the group’s cause and purpose: “To bring a smile to a child’s face during the holiday season with a bear hug!”
“The co-chairs and committee devoted hours of time to this project during one of the most hectic times of the year and we were happy to be recognized so highly,” said Hallissy.
Groups nominated for the Connecticut Higher Education Community Service Awards “must have demonstrated leadership in the development and implementation of community service within the campus community and must have demonstrated initiative and creativity in community service participation,” according to the event’s program.
“Nominees must have engaged in community service that resulted in a positive impact on campus and within the community.”
The group began collecting bears and money around Thanksgiving, with a goal of 1,000 bears. The goal was exceeded with a final count of 1,207 bears, donated by more than 150 Fairfield alumni, students, employees and friends.
“The Teddy Bears Program is really important for SAA because it brings together students and alumni with the Fairfield community, which couldn’t have been possible without our strong Fairfield pride and alumni presence,” said Katie Neugebauer ’08, co-president of SAA.
Donations were accepted from beyond the immediate community this year. Enterprise Rent-A-Car donated 200 bears and offered three of their locations in Fairfield and their corporate headquarters in Wilton as collection sites. Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation located in Stratford also made a hefty donation of 150 bears.
“During the final count we had more bears than we knew what to do with,” said Mautone. “We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the University community.”
The piles of bears were sent to a number of organizations, including Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Bridgeport Hospital, Honeybear Learning Center, Holy Name of Jesus After-School Program, Action Bridgeport Community Development and the Cardinal Sheehan Center of Bridgeport.
For the first time in the program’s history, donations were also sent to a New Jersey-based organization, Reaching All In Need Everyday.
“Some of these children are ill for the holidays,” said Hallissy, “and their idea of a fun holiday season is not one spent in a hospital. Sometimes all they need is a bear hug to cheer them up.”
Neugebauer said the group is looking forward to the program next year and collecting more bears. Next year’s goal is 10,000 bears for the program’s 10th Anniversary.
“We are happy with whatever number of bears we receive, or any size donation,” said Hallissy. “To us, what’s most important is that we are making a small impact in children’s lives during the holiday season.”
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