I recently became involved in this amazing charity called Operation Share Bear. The charity is quite simple and works similar to how the Ice Bucket Challenge worked. You get a bear or any other stuffed animal (we made ours at Build-A-Bear), post it to social media, issue a Bear Dare to 3 friends, and deliver your stuffed animal to a children's hospital, library, or any child in need (locations are called Bear Caves). The purpose of the charity is provide a stuffed animal to a child in need, particularly to those children who spend a long amount of time in the hospital.
This is a newer charity and one that has become close to my heart. I work in a low-SES area in western New Jersey, about twenty minutes outside of Philadelphia. A number of my students frequent the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP for short). Their families struggle with meeting basic needs and sometimes go without what many of us take for granted, such as a stuffed animal. Together, with a few friends, we went to Build-A-Bear and created a number of stuffed animals that we are sending to CHoP.
Not only did we have a great time, building bears and making memories, we have the joy of doing something great for children. While the charity focuses on the holiday season, donations are accepted year-round and Bear Dares can be given out whenever. When posting to social media, participants are asked to hashtag using the following: #operationsharebear and #beardare.
So, now I Bear Dare all of my readers to get a stuffed animal (new), post it to social media, issue a Bear Dare to three friends, and deliver your stuffed animal to a local hospital.
For more information about Operation Share Bear, please visit their website at this link.
For a list of Bear Caves for donation, please visit this link.
To donate to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, please send or deliver packages to the following address:
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Attn: Child Life Office
Olivia Bond
3401 Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
To donate to Ocean of Love (in New Jersey), please send or deliver packages to the following address:
Ocean Of Love
Contact: Danielle Baer, LSW
1709 Highway 37 East
Toms River, NJ 08753
