REGINA — A new partnership between Teddy Bears Anonymous and the Hospitals of Regina Foundation will continue allowing the organization to distribute bears across Sask.
Mark Johnston, vice-president of Teddy Bears Anonymous and morning show host on Play 92, explained the financial aid the hospital will provide.
“Each shipment is 15,000 bears [yearly], and it's $5 a bear,” noted Johnston. "That adds up. So they're helping us out financially with the next two shipments of bears."
Those 15,000 bears are distributed across roughly 20 hospitals and approximately 50 first responder services across the province.
Hospitals of Regina president and CEO Dino Sophocleous said the teddy bears have made a world of difference for their patients.
“I think that it goes without saying that when a child is in distress, a teddy bear is always a great comfort item for them.”
He added, “This goes a long way in dealing with that very stressful situation at the very early stage in their lives.”
Teddy Bears Anonymous aims to provide a special bear to every child admitted to a Saskatchewan hospital. These bears comfort children during tests, procedures and surgeries, offering hope during challenging times, according to a Hospitals of Regina Foundation press release.
Teddy Bears Anonymous was founded in December 2008 after Luke Lawrence lost his daughter, Erin. She was predeceased by her mother in 1991. They both passed away from a rare form of gastric cancer called Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC).
Erin’s love for life and her compassion for sick children inspired Teddy Bears Anonymous, which can be found in most hospitals across Saskatchewan today. The bears are Saskatchewan Health Authority-approved and cellophane-sealed so they can safely accompany a child into surgery.
As for the partnership, it is currently set for two years.
Sophocleous said they’ll wait to see how things go before considering extending it.
More information can be found here.
