Thank you, Gloria Brown, for the outstanding work you have done, and continue to do, collecting and delivering bears to children everywhere. And, thank you, Bears Artists, for continuing to make these little toys with so much love. Thank you, all!
November 2019 – 50 bears to the Cleveland Clinic Children with Genetic Gastrointestinal Diseases program
December 2019 – 25 bears to the Sanctuary of Verde Valley (Domestic Violence Shelter) Holiday Party for the shelter residents and community transition program children
February and March 2020 – 43 bears to the Health Start Program at North Country Healthcare in Flagstaff (balance due once reopened – 77 to equal requested 120 bears)
February 2020 – 7 bears to Healthy Families Arizona in Flagstaff and Page (balance due is 28 on hold to total 35 bears upon reopening offices)
August 2020 – 24 bears to Carrie Dallas for Lasting Indigenous Family Enrichment (L.I.F.E.) Program and Native Americans for Community Action (N.A.C.A.) in Flagstaff
September 2020 – 32 bears to Darrell R. Marks, Native American Academic Adviser at Flagstaff High School for distribution to several Native American tribes in Northern Arizona
December 2020 – 100 bears to Darrell R. Marks, Native American Academic Adviser at Flagstaff High School with Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans and Arizona Daily Sun reporter and photographer for delivery to Fourth Nation for holiday packages with food and clothing items.
December 2020 - 10 bears to Arizona Department of Child Safety, Cottonwood – DiNel Gabaldon
December 2020 - 50 bears to Arizona Department of Child Safety, Flagstaff for distribution to the Northwest Region offices – Bernadette Solheim
December 2020 - bears to a needy family at the Cottonwood Community School.
January 2021 – 20 bears to the Apache Junction Regional Office (Northeast Region) of the Arizona Dept. of Child Safety in Mesa - Theresa and 20 bears to the Maricopa East Regional Office in Mesa – Pamela Harris, Community Outreach. Delivered by Barbara Bank.
January 2021 – 10 bears to Northland Family Help Center, Flagstaff, a program for domestic violence services and trafficking prevention.– Shaleen Seward, Executive Director
February 2021 – 10 locally created bears to the Sedona Fire District for EMT trucks to Battalion Chief Ed Mezulis and accompanied by Sedona Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella.
February 2021 – 50 bears presented to the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program of Yavapai County for their Camp Verde and Prescott offices to Jen Bahr, Dependency Coordinator, and Lora Mazza, CASA volunteer.
February 2021 – 100 bears to The Arizona Dept. of Child Safety for Maricopa West Regional Office in Glendale with Emily Krokosz – Tashira Turner, Executive Staff Assistant
February 2021 – 235 bears to Accel Program for special needs children and adults in Phoenix – with Emily Krokosz. Balance due – 165 to total 400
March 2021 – 50 bears to the Cottonwood Fire Department, Rick Contreras – Fire Marshall, to be used for emergencies and in the school system for fire safety classes. Accompanied by Emily Krokosz.
March 2021 – 10 bears to the Care Portal, a foster care program at the Verde Valley Chrisitan Church in Cottonwood, delivered by Emily Krokosz to program chair, Kim.
March 2021 – 165 bears were given to Jessie Bustamante of the Accel school program in Phoenix to complete their initial request.
April 2021 – 35 bears to Naomi House, Navajo Nation, a home for 32-33 abused and neglected children.
April 2021 – 35 bears to Abide House, Camp Verde – a home and support program for new mothers.
April 2021 – 15 bears given to Chicago Chesed Fund for kids in need by Dr. Barbara Bank.
May 2021 – 100 bears presented to the Yavapai County Office of the Sheriff for emergent situations involving children.
May 2021 – 100 bears to Mary Stelpstra of the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, Clarkdale for their backpacks for refugee children through the Lutheran Social Services in Phoenix.
May 2021 – 158 bears to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for their Welcome Center in Phoenix - a 24/7 shelter to house asylum-seeking families released from detention. From there, they will be reunited with their sponsor families.
May 2021 – Linda Maxson and her sister-in-law delivered 12 bears to the Auglaize County Crisis Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio - a domestic violence shelter program.
July 2021 – 15 bears delivered by Gloria Brown and Patty Hoisch to the Agape House Family Shelter in Prescott, Arizona
July 2021 – 20 bears delivered by Gloria Brown accompanied by a committee of Democrats of the Red Rocks to the Yavapai-Apache Community Center, represented by Lawrence Johnson Sr. who presented a history of this local nation to our group.
July 2021 – 50 bears to Casa Alitas, Tucson, Arizona – a shelter for asylum seekers that provides shelter, food, and clothing prior to their leaving for their permanent homes. Delivered by Peggy Felici-Gessner.
August 2021 – 4 bears with amputations, delivered by Marla Simon to the Hanger Clinic to be brought to children in Mexico with amputated legs.
August 2021 – 139 bears to Casa Alitas, Tucson, Arizona transported by Hank and Sue McCauley on their way home from vacationing in Sedona and being delivered to Peggy Felici-Gessner to bring to the Casa Alitas program.
Fall 2021 – 50 bears from NYU Naughty Knitters being brought to the Dominican Republic by nurse practitioner Kelly Kreis and Waves of Health.
October 2021 – 16 bears to Marla Simon for distribution to the Hanger Clinic in Phoenix for children with amputated legs in Arizona and Mexico.
October 2021 – 25 bears to Toys for Tots Holiday collection in Verde Valley. Delivered by Michael Shapiro.
November 2021 – Additional 12 bears with amputations delivered with original 20 totaling 32 bears with shortened legs delivered by Marla Simon and Gloria Brown to the Hanger Clinic in Phoenix to be divided with 16 for the Phoenix Clinic child clients through Jilian Okimoro, Certified Prosthetist and 16 to be delivered by therapist Anna to children in Mexico.
November 2021- Additional 10 bears with amputations delivered to Marla Simon for the Hanger Clinic in Phoenix.
November 2021 – 150 bears to IRC (International Rescue Committee) Welcome Center in Phoenix. Received by Eliana Carrera, Volunteer Specialist at the facility.
March 2022 – 102 bears to Casa Alitas Welcome Center for refugee families run by Catholic Community Services in Tucson. The bears were delivered by Peggy Felici-Gessner.
March 2022 – 12 bears to Hope House, an interfaith project of Sedona organizations to build a family shelter for homeless from the Sedona – Oak Creek School District.
March 2022 – 75 bears and 27 small fleece stuffed hearts to the International Rescue Committee’s Welcome Center for Asylum seeking families in Phoenix, delivered by Gloria Brown and Cheryl Parmett.
Total to date: 2149 bears 3/27/22
April 2022 – Linda Martin donated her first 6 bears to the JRI Foster Care and Adoption Program in Berkley, Massachusetts.
May 2022 – 8 bears for delivery to Ukrainian children in Poland and Ukraine by Mark Cary of Sedona and crafted by Methodist Women of Ottawa, Ohio and Gloria Brown.
June 2022 – The NYU Naughty Knitters gave 50 bears to St. George Catholic Ukrainian Church in New York City to be included in their packages to Ukrainian families in distress there.
Total to date: 2213 bears 6/3/33
June 2022 – 12 bears to Marla Simon for distribution to amputee and disabled children served by the Hanger Clinic in Phoenix and in Mexico.
June 2022 – 200 bears being sent to SouthWest Key’s Casa Quetzal in Houston, Texas for unaccompanied minors seeking refuge in the United States.
Total to date: 2425 bears 6/19/22
July 2022 – 36 bears given to Mark Cary to bring to Ukraine for children in Kharkiv and other underground railroad shelters. He will be assisting to evacuate families to safer areas.
Total to date: 2461
October 2022 – 30 bears with amputations and orthopedic devices given to Marla Simon for distribution at the Hanger Clinic in Phoenix and also to Shriner’s in Mexico.
October 2022 – 25 bears given to Jennifer Berg (Native Knitter) of Albuquerque, New Mexico for distribution to the native nations of Arizona and New Mexico.
November 2022 - The following have been given to Mark Cary for his November 15th trip to the Ukraine: 250 bears, 78 hats, 7 ear warmers, 11 pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of socks, 6 scarves and 65 signed cards of good wishes and holiday greetings.
Total to date (bears): 2628
November 2022 – 25 bears given to Tammy Straw, Manager of the Old Town Mission serving the homeless in Cottonwood and the Verde Valley.
November 2022 – 100 bears delivered by Gloria Brown and Cheryl Parlett to Casa Alitas, a family refugee center run by Catholic Community Services in Tucson. Tour of the facility was given by volunteer Peggy Felici-Gessner.
December 2022 – 100 bears delivered by Gloria Brown and Cheryl Parlett (owner of the way overstuffed delivery pick-up truck!) to the volunteer coordinator of deliveries to the IRC Welcome Center and the 3 new church programs for refugee families in Phoenix.
December 2022 – 25 bears mailed to Missionaries of Charity Navajo Fund for holiday gifts to the homeless in Navajo Nation. Mailed by Deborah Pegg.
January 2023 – 84 bears from the NYU Naughty Knitters to be given by Waves of Health to Laura Toner in Uganda.
