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About three years ago Gund retired a teddy bear named
Cinnamon Spice. She was a stout little bear with a soft orange color. I liked her
and decided to give the last one I had in my inventory to my mom for a birthday
gift – her 92nd birthday to be exact. Mom named her Cindy. Cindy gave her lots of hugs over
the next three years and she traveled to a couple different homes as Mother needed
more care. Now Cindy has come home to me.Mom fell and broke her hip on December 22nd and passed away from complications on January 3rd. At 95, only being out of commission for two weeks is a pretty cool way to go. I was fortunate to have my brother here for the holidays, so he and Mom and I went through it together.
One of these months (or maybe years) I’ll let Cindy give hugs to someone else – but in the meantime, she’ll be giving hugs to me - and I'm grateful.
Every teddy bear has a story - what's your teddy bear's story?
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A couple weeks ago I was in a car wreck and luckily came out of it without any injuries. My passenger (my 95 year old mother) however was not quite as lucky and needed to be taken to the hospital for examination and Xrays. During the several hours I spent with her in the Emergency Room I started getting a craving for a Coke. I was tired, still shaken and really wanted a Coke. I had a $20 bill but no coins or smaller bills for the vending machine down the hall that sold beverages for $1.25. So I wandered around to see if their cafeteria was still open and finally had to stop and to get directions.
Two young men dressed in hospital blues were coming toward me and I told them my plight. They said the cafeteria was closed but then, within a split second, one of the men had his wallet out and he gave me a one dollar bill. He said there is another vending machine just beyond the cafeteria that sells Coke cans for $.75. I almost cried. It was such an unexpected act of kindness. I was so grateful. They even insisted on walking with me to the vending machine! They made my day!
I think of my teddy bear business as the same kind of thing. It gives people the opportunity to show an unexpected act of kindness to a child in the hospital. And it can really make their day – to know that someone they don’t even know – cares!
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There is a new teddy bear for our site and his name is Hoagie Bear. He is soooo soft!
This teddy bear has a BIG, soft belly. In fact, his belly sticks out almost as far as his legs do! He’s 13” long with dark brown fur, 1/4” long and it’s nice and shiny. His muzzle, tummy and the bottoms of his hind feet all have short-cropped tan plush fur.
His small eyes are round and shiny black and framed with brown plush short-cropped fur. His rather big nose is soft black plush with a distinctive raised rib of the same fur that is around his eyes. Hoagie's stitched mouth shows a sly smile all the time. He is one happy and contented bear.
Gund Hoagie Stuffed Bear is just the right size to be the best friend for any toddler or adult for many years to come.
Experience the joy of sharing teddy bear hugs with a child in the hospital - through MamaBearsPlace!
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I love learning new things every day. The latest tidbit is how to embed my video into my Media Page, which I just accomplished. My next desire is to learn how to make a short movie with some cute teddy bear photos with Windows Live Movie Maker. I'm sure it's simple . . . once I know how.
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Molly Garza, Director of Annual Giving at Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, was reportedly moved to tears when she received six donated teddy bears. Six children at Albuquerque’s Presbyterian Healthcare Services get to hug a bear – for as long as they want, thanks to the parents of Sophia Olivia Fuller. Sophia’s parents, in her memory, donated bears to children in ICU care at Presbyterian through a program being offered online. The program is part of a new partnership between French Funerals-Cremations and MamaBearsPlace.com.
Garza says, “ I am so grateful for the kindness, compassion and generosity of people like Donna and her customers. “
Donna Luke, owner of MamaBearsPlace.com says, “I believe in the healing power of hugs. I also love making people, particularly children, happy with these really huggable teddy bears. That is why I enjoy what I do so much.”
Presbyterian hospital houses approximately 21 PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care) beds, 35 PED (Pediatric) beds, and 60 NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) beds. “Often, being able to experience what could be referred to as hug therapy from a soft cuddly companion, like a teddy bear, could be an emotionally healing experience,” says Luke, who is considered an expert in the art of connecting teddy bears with those who need hugs.
To learn more about the program and make a donation in the memory of someone special, go tohttp://www.MamaBearsPlace.com.
MamaBearsPlace.com is an online business that offers opportunities to experience the hug of a teddy bear and express that hug as a donation. Contact Darren L Johnson at 505-340-3711 or email Darren@DarrenLJohnson.com for more information or to reach Donna Luke for comments or an interview. -
It's finished!!
The video is up on the home page and I'm thrilled. Please check it out and let me know what you think.
I partnered with Maverick Web Video in Albuquerque and, assuming you like their work, they can be reached through their website .
Jonathan took the time to understand my business and what my goals were with this video. He put together a "story board" so that his whole team was working toward the same goals. His photographer/production manager, Sean, was excellent and had a sixth sense about what items should be in the background of the scene to bring it to life. Mike pulled it all together and helped me put it on my site.
I hope you enjoy the video and I'd reallly like to hear your feedback.
Donna, MamaBear
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I’m so excited. We’re making a video about MamaBearsPlace. I hired a company to do it with me and so far it’s been great. First I met for coffee with their lead man and he asked me lots of questions about MamaBearsPlace – how it started, who is involved with it, what are my goals. Then we filmed for a couple hours onsite at the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital in Albuquerque, NM.
I started the business because I like three things, - teddy bears, web designing and helping people. So I designed a website that combined teddy bears and helping people. As it happens, there are a lot of people involved with my website business. First there are the restaurant owners in Albuquerque who host a teddy bear display.* Their customers can hug the bears and take an instruction card that directs them to the website. Once on the website they can purchase two bears and donate one or both of them to children in the hospital. Then I take the donated bears to the Development Specialist for UNM Hospitals, Children’s Miracle Network. He gives them to those in charge of the Child Life floor inside the Children’s Hospital, who give them to the nurses, who give them to the children. People on all these levels have stories to tell about the teddy bears and their comforting effect on the children. It was delightful to hear them tell their stories, since I don’t normally get this kind of feedback.
One part that pleased me was hearing about the tiny infants who’ve received a stuffed animal. They’re too young to really know what’s happening, but the nurses are sure that the soft texture of a stuffed animal like Winky Lamb helps give them comfort. Sometimes they use the bears to hold the equipment that surrounds the baby and the stuffed animals help keep the environment comfy and cozy.
My goals are to grow the business so that not just hundreds but thousands of children receive teddy bears from MamaBearsPlace to comfort them. The result will also be that thousands of customers feel better for having made the donation, and lots of business owners will be improving customer loyalty by hosting teddy bear displays.
And since I donate 5% of the purchase price to the hospital, we really have five winners involved: the business hosting the display, their customers, MamaBearsPlace, the hospital and the children.It makes me smile all day long. I love win-win-win-win-win!
*The biggest supporters right now are The Range Restaurant on Menaul, The Range Restaurant on Wyoming, The Range Restaurant in Bernalillo, and Applebee’s on Montgomery
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I’ve just added it to the MamaBearsPlace website as a recipient hospital that customers can choose for the teddy bears that they donate and for the 5% donation that I give with each purchase.
Recently I was fortunate enough to have PHCC’s Child Life Director, Rebecca Armstrong, give me a tour of the facility. She is enthusiastic, animated and has a deep rooted sense of caring for and about people. Coming from a counselor background, she understands better than most of us how to help people handle the emotions of a hospital stay, for both the patient and the families.
She loves to have murals on the walls in the Children’s Center and pays attention to the details in them that bring warmth and joy. She pays attention to details like the color of the walls, the artwork displayed on them and reflected lighting to soften the look of a room. I heard terms like PICU and NICU and saw triplets who each weighed about 16 ounces. I was amazed at what that level of care looks like. In addition, Rebecca has a session once a week that brings the parents of newborns together to share their joys and struggles.
Rebecca’s long time assistant, Patti, was coloring when I met her. She makes a colorful name page for each child coming into the center each day. These pages are taped to the child’s door so that everyone who attends to that child can walk in with a smile and a personal greeting. What a delightful detail that makes a difference.
Then there was Rachael’s Courtyard. How delightful! Both indoor and outdoor spaces set up into areas of activities – colorful walls and murals, tables and chairs. They also have many planters to grow herbs, berries and flowers most of the year.
Rebecca praised the volunteers she works with daily and praised the Presbyterian Health Care Foundation and the donors who fund it. She says she couldn’t function without the contributions of both.
She told me stories of a few of the families she’s worked with in the Children’s Center, but I’d love to hear from you. What’s your story about Presbyterian Hospital Children’s Center?
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Since 1946 Target stores have been giving back to the community. They contribute 5% of annual income to support families and communities. Today that is more than $3 million EACH WEEK to the communities in which they do business.
Walmart’s tagline is “operating globally and giving back locally”. They provide financial and volunteer support to more than 100,000 charitable and community-focused organizations.
That is awesome! Giving back to the community is good for individuals and good for businesses that support it. It gives the individual a feeling of accomplishment, of satisfaction, of belonging. It gives the business a good reputation. It let’s the customers know they care. It makes everyone feel good. Most businesses aren’t as big as Target or Walmart, but their giving back attitude counts just as much. And it does just as much good for the individuals involved.
At MamaBearsPlace we help people donate brand-new huggable GUND teddy bears to children in the hospital. In addition MamaBearsPlace donates 5% of the purchase price to the hospital; plus ships the bears to the hospital for no charge. Since MamaBearsPlace is home-based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the beneficiary of the “giving back” is the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital. However, a customer may choose to donate the teddy bears to a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in their own state.See how easy it is to feel good, when you “give back” through MamaBearsPlace.
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This is the year’s biggest fundraising event for our local Children’s Hospital. One of the local radio stations, 100.3 The Peak, hosts a 3 day RadioThon with the proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital. Typically the event brings in over $100,000, so there is a lot of community support.
Last year I took two sacks of Gund teddy bears that had been donated through MamaBearsPlace.com up to the children’s floor in the new Pavilion Wing of the hospital. Across from the bank of elevators was a long table full of 12-15 volunteers taking pledges. To the left was a section dedicated to the radio announcers who were on-air continuously from 6am to 6pm.
Daniel Jaecks is the Assistant Development Director who is in charge of this fundraiser and he almost lived there for the three days. They had special events and many special visitors to keep things exciting for both the volunteers and the children who passed through the halls. What a marvelous contribution of time and energy from all these willing participants.
While I was there, they gave several of my teddy bears to the children who were wheeled down the halls to one appointment or another. It was great because I don’t normally get to see any of the children who receive the teddy bears that my customers donate. Outsiders can’t just go visit the children in their rooms. But that day I saw them give a white teddy bear named “Snuffles” to a girl who had a neck brace and was walking with her mother. I couldn’t see the young girl’s face, but I both saw and heard her mother exclaim joyfully, “Oh, I had this same teddy bear when I was a girl!” Teddy bears are like that – so special and comforting – that their memory lives on long after the bear has gone.
If you’d like to call in a pledge for UNM Children’s Hospital, call 505-272-1003 or 1-866-811-1003 anytime from 6am to 6pm – February 24-26. That’s Wednesday – Friday.
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Our very sweet Gund Brighton Stuffed Bear is inches tall and very affectionate. When she sits, her long hind legs are out in front of her and her arms are curved at her sides – ready to give a hug. Her snow white fur is ½ inch long all over and is cuddly soft. Brighton’s facial features include two shiny brown eyes with black pupils, a small brownish-orange stitched nose and just a hint of a mouth. Her white polka dot bow makes her look very lady-like and elegant. Brighton is sure to be a delightful companion for any child or adult.
You can find Brighton at MamaBearsPlace.com. She can be purchased one of two ways. On the “Bears for Charity” page she is priced TWO for $40.95, (no accessories) where one is for YOU and one is for a CHILD in the hospital. You get to choose the hospital during checkout, plus 5% of your purchase price is donated to the hospital as well.
You can also purchase just one Brighton on the “Single Bears” page. She normally costs $20.50, but currently has a special Valentine’s Day price of $17.50.
Brighton has two accessories available. Her Rose Bouquet ($7.50) is adorable and especially delightful as Valentine’s Day approaches. There are five soft, shiny satin 1″ high roses in the bouquet – two red, two pink and one white. Each is attached to a 4″ green felt stem with leaves and all five are tied together with a red satin bow that has an elastic band to hold it on her arm.
She also has a Box of Chocolates ($10.50) that is 4″ x 3″ x 1.25″. Five little cloth chocolates are tucked inside a soft, shiny red satin box (and each are secured with a couple stitches to keep them safe). The lid is decorated with a silver bow across the top. There’s a velcro closure on the side and an elastic band to hold the box on Brighton’s arm.
Many other Gund stuffed animals are available on the “Bears for Charity” program, as well as on the “Single Bears” page. Come visit us.
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