It’s officially the holiday season, and with that comes the spirit of giving. Since 1999, Fairfield University has donated over 20,000 teddy bears and other stuffed animals to dozens of children’s hospitals and charities across the United States. The Teddy Bears with Love Drive was created by the Student Alumni Association and this year marks the 20th anniversary.

With two days left to get all donations dropped off or mailed in, students are encouraged to drop off new stuffed animals by Friday, Dec. 7. Staff and students can drop off their teddy bears between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Office of Alumni Relations on the second floor of Alumni House.

Last year’s drive collected over 12,000 stuffed animals, and the Student Alumni Association hopes to make this year the biggest donation yet. Last year, donations were made to organizations including:

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Hartford, Conn.)

Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital (New Haven, Conn.)

St. Vincent’s Hospital (Bridgeport, Conn.)

Bridgeport Hospital (Bridgeport, Conn.)

Franciscan Children’s (Brighton, Mass.)

Hour Children Inc. (New York, N.Y.)

Catholic Charities of Chicago (Chicago, Ill.)

Overlook Hospital (Newark, N.J.)

UCSF Children’s Hospital (San Francisco, Calif.)

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Georgetown Hospital and NIH (Washington, D.C.)

Beth Israel Newark Medical Center (Newark, N.J.)

According to a press release made by the University, the program has received the Council for Advancement & Support of Education’s Affiliated Student Advancement Programs Award for 2008 Outstanding External Program and the 2011 Outstanding Tried & True Program in CASE District 1. It also received a 2014 Yale New Haven Hospital Auxiliary Toy Closet Award for consistent support of the Toy Closet Program.

As a reminder, all teddy bears, or other animals, must have original tags in order to be accepted for donation.

For questions, please call (203) 254-4280 or email fairfieldteddybears@gmail.com

 

About The Author

-- Editor-In-Chief Emeritus-- Digital Journalism

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.