On Saturday, December 7, the children at Akron Children’s Hospital of Mahoning Valley were the recipients of 25 soft, cuddly teddy bear and kids’ books, donated by Author, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Nate Dinet (Poland, Ohio) from The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
This is a part of the DreamCatchers for Kids Fund that is ran by the Foundation.
The bears were created from the children’s own special lists that they made for themselves. The children were able to choose the name for their bear, clothing and even the accessories to make their individual bear a one-of-a-kind teddy bear of their very own.
“Bringing a bit of joy to children who are ill and have to be in the hospital is why I wanted to chair the Build a Bear event again this year,” stated Rey Esparra, Board Member of The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
For over 100 years, teddy bears have been bringing smiles to people’s faces and warming their hearts. And the best part is that when a child is feeling down, scared or not well they can reach for the teddy bear and hold onto it and hug it to help ease their fears. The bears provide support and comfort to children who are battling serious illnesses, and this has always been the mission of The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
