Becki Zerr:
I'm Becki Zerr and welcome to Raising Kindness, a podcast all about promoting volunteerism within our community. Join me each month as I'm joined by my 12-year-old son, Bennett, and his friends demonstrating that together, despite my vision loss, we can definitely make a positive difference in others' lives. We may not always know what we're doing precisely, but we're going to learn, meet new people, and have a lot of fun during the process. So, grab a friend and join us on the volunteering adventure that we call Raising Kindness. Welcome to another episode of Raising Kindness. Today, I'm super excited to talk about the next organization that we had an opportunity to volunteer at, which was Teddy Bears Anonymous. My very first encounter with this organization once by total half a chance. Years ago, when Bennett was little, he would commonly struggle with a respiratory condition called croup.
Essentially what it is, it's a sudden onset of a restricted airway, which is easily identifiable by a very unique barking-sounding cough that's totally attributed to that same respiratory restriction. When a child and their parents, for that matter, first encounter this respiratory condition, it can be a bit scary for everyone. And when Bennett was in between the ages of one and six years of ages, he quite commonly got croup as some kids do. So unfortunately, our family got really used to managing Bennett's croup at home, and typically we were fairly able to resolve his symptoms on our own at home. However, there were a couple of occasions where Bennett's croup presented in the middle of the night as it happens to do, unfortunately. And despite all of our good efforts, it ended up progressing to the point where we could no longer safely manage his condition at home.
So, we had to bundle him up and head on into the hospital. And one of these times was when Bennett was about two years old. We arrived in the middle of the night to emergency room, and during all of the hustle and bustle, Bennett was approached by a hospital staff member who handed him this cute brown teddy bear, Bennett's chubby little arms, immediately wrapped right around it as his face totally lit up with the biggest smile. The staff member then continued to explain to my husband and I that Bennett's new teddy bear friend was from an organization here in Regina called Teddy Bears Anonymous. I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe that somebody had put together such a simple, yet thoughtful organization. And what a great plan because that teddy bear acted as the perfect distraction, and it really changed the feelings that Bennett associated with going to the hospital from something totally scary and negative to something a little bit more gentle and welcoming.
Bennett had so many stuffed animals when he was little, but to him, his new teddy bear friend had totally earned a special place on his bed at home amongst his most valued stuffed animals. Brad and I remember we were just so super grateful for this random act of kindness that really helped make our sick little guy feel so comforted and for obvious reasons, I completely believe in this organization, their mission, and what they do. So, both Bennett and I are totally thrilled today to be able to give back and hopefully be able to pay forward some of that kindness that we felt from Teddy Bears Anonymous to some other families who are unfortunately experiencing some of those stressful medical scenarios.
So that all being said, I'm totally excited to get started with today's episode. I'm excited to welcome Mr. Luke Lawrence, executive director, and founder of Teddy Bears Anonymous to my podcast. First off, I would like to say a genuine thank you to you, Luke, and the entire Teddy Bears Anonymous team for all of the stuffed animals that Bennett have received over the years when he was visiting the hospital in sick. So, thank you. Okay, Luke, let's start off and I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about Teddy Bears Anonymous and how it all got started.

Luke Lawrence:
Well, the charity is founded in memory of my daughter. My daughter Erin passed away from a rare form of gastric cancer in 2007 called Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer. And when she was going through her battle with cancer, it was never about her. She had a very charismatic personality. It was about everybody else. And that kind of, I remembered that and Erin, she said when she was going for her chemo treatments, she said, "Dad, that's terrible." And I'll never forget that. It's like it was last night even though it wasn't anymore. And I said, "Erin, what's terrible?"
And there's a little sign-up in when you go into the Ellen Blair for treatment and it's his juvenile chemo ward. Since then, they've moved the ward, but at the time, that's where it was located. And Erin says that's terrible. And I just shook my head and a shocked by her response. It wasn't about her at all that day. It was about the children on the other side of that door. And after Erin passed away, I remembered that and it stuck to my head and I kept thinking, what could we do here to recognize those children? Because Erin was so fond of children herself. So that's how Teddy Bears Anonymous was founded based on what Erin had just said that day. And here we are today. Thanks for the community support we're still in operation.

Becki Zerr:
Oh, that's an amazing story. Thank you for sharing that with us. I'm just wondering if you can tell us a bit about what Teddy Bear Anonymous actually does.

Luke Lawrence:
Basically, the name kind of explains what it is. It's teddy bears and it's teddy bears for sick children. And it's anonymous because we don't know who the recipients are. We rarely meet them. We get pictures from parents, they're very proud of their children getting gifted a teddy bear in the hospitals. But that's what we do. We supply the hospitals with teddy bears for sick children, and we've been able to expand our service and now we offer EMS. They're all factory cello-sealed teddy bears, and stationer ambulance and air medevac services are on our program. So, because they're factory cello sealed it's the perfect connection for the hospitals with all the bugs that are out there. RSV is rampant right now in Saskatchewan, I think pretty well everywhere. COVID is still around and influenza. So, we have a huge demand for our services right now.

Becki Zerr:
That is amazing. I love how you guys have expanded the program. I'm just wondering if we can go into a little bit more detail on the cello bears. So, when I initially reached out to you and through this volunteer opportunity, I learned that just not any teddy bear can roll into the hospital and become a Teddy Bears Anonymous bear. So, there's a lot of protocols that have to be met behind the scenes. I'm wondering if you can share a little bit of information about that process.

Luke Lawrence:
Well, absolutely. It's our protocol, but it's been adopted. SGI has approved our product. It's because we order them directly from the factory. They're not touched by the human hands, and they're cello-sealed right there at the plant, and they come in cases cello sealed. When we deliver them to the hospitals, we don't open the cases. And when the hospitals open them, they're in a cello-sealed bag and everything's cello sealed. So, they're about as sterile as you can get. I think they're probably one of the cleanest things coming into the hospitals right now. So, they're germ-free infection control. We take that very serious at Teddy Bears Anonymous. So...

Becki Zerr:
I love how you guys have gone that extra step to make these teddy bears extra special and safe for the kids whose arms are ending up in. So, some behind-the-scenes information. I'm wondering if you can share with us how are you guys able to acquire these bears? I mean, do you predominantly rely on general society to make the donations for the funding or how do you guys acquire that money?

Luke Lawrence:
Well, we're no different than any other registered charity as we survive on donations. Donations from the community. When I say community, I just don't mean Regina, where we're based. I mean basically, Saskatchewan is our community. We are everywhere in the province. Everywhere there's hospitals on the program, wherever there's EMS, and we get donations from the rural community. We get donations from the urban, we're kind of corded in Saskatoon and Regina. Those are kind of our shipping hubs. Saskatoon, we'll ship everything north and south and we'll ship everything north and south. We split the program in half, but if it wasn't for the support that we got from, or that we continue to get from local businesses too, we wouldn't be able to operate. But because we're operated 100% by volunteers, all that money goes towards a purchase of cello-sealed teddy bears for the sick kids.
And we have our local fundraisers here in Regina, our annual fundraisers, and Saskatoon has theirs, and it all adds up. So, we've been able to survive the COVID as best we can. It was tough for most charities, but people still found it in their hearts to give. Every time a teddy bear is gifted to a child, they'd probably see the hang tag that it wasn't gifted from SHA, it was from a private charity and our bears cost us $5. We're very public about that. There's no nothing to hide here. And people probably give a lot more than that and what they give, what they can't afford, and that's all we ask is to keep the program in operation.

Becki Zerr:
And it is an amazing program that is truly impactful. And there's the more we have conversations about the Teddy Bears Anonymous crew and the bears themselves, it's really easy to hear how many people have been impacted. So, I'm just curious if you happen to have any idea of about how many bears you guys have given out over the years?

Luke Lawrence:
We've got 15,000 bears coming in here probably in the next couple of weeks. They come in through the port of Vancouver and then they're transported domestic shipping to Saskatchewan. And then we split the shipment to Saskatoon and Regina where we have our hubs. Or if you do the math and it's easy to keep track of. We're at 190,000 bears now.

Becki Zerr:
Holy man. That is wild. That is a lot of bears and a lot of kids. That is amazing work that you guys are doing in memory of your beautiful daughter. So, I'm just curious if, do you happen to know if there's a similar organization in any other provinces in Saskatchewan?

Luke Lawrence:
It's a good question. We're asked out all the time. We've been asked if we can expand our services as well to other provinces. And as far as we're aware of, we know people and other provinces in Canada and they keep asking, why don't we have a program like this in our province? So, the answer to my knowledge is no. There's nothing like this. We've been contacted from children's hospitals in Ontario, Alberta. So, if they're contacting us, I guess there's a reason being as they don't have anything like that right now that's in effect. I wish there was, but right now we're only located in Saskatchewan.

Becki Zerr:
Wow. We're very grateful that you guys are here. I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on children volunteering for the organization to give back for what they've received in the past. Like Bennett, he's received a couple of bears from you guys over the years, so it was really a privilege and something really heartfelt for him to be able to reach out and volunteer for your organization. So, I'm just curious what your thoughts are on kids volunteering.

Luke Lawrence:
Becki, that's what it's all about. We love when children get involved in fundraising at a young age because that's what we gift our teddy bears to. So, when children can reach out and... We've Kool-Aid stands here in Saskatchewan, it's never about the money that's raised, it's the fact that they're giving back. And I think that's the term we like to use. It's awesome. We try to engage children as much as possible in our fundraisers. They can't be really young just for safety purposes, but whatever we can get them to do at a fundraiser, well, we always try to work them in. Our fundraisers are very public events and with are always open to children coming, unless it's like this year we're going... It's our 15th anniversary here in Saskatchewan as a charity, and we're going to have a gala event to mark that 15 years.
And of course, that would be an adult event, but all our fundraisers are all for kids. But just finished in Regina here, a fundraiser for children. It was a teddy bear scavenger hunt, bring your whole family. And the key word fundraiser is fun and that's the optimum word. And if we can't put fun in a fundraiser, then we're not successful.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely. What a great philosophy. And I'm just wondering, Luke, if people are interested in receiving more information on Teddy Bears Anonymous, where would you best direct them to find this information?

Luke Lawrence:
Everything they wanted to know was afraid to ask, I would say is on our website. And it's teddybearsanonymous.ca, so www.teddybearsanonymous.ca, just thumb through it there. It's very easy to maneuver around it. You can make donations, rate on our websites, and the donations are issued instantly. And if you have any questions there, just contact us directly and we're very easy to get hold of.

Becki Zerr:
Well, thank you so much for... First of all, starting up this organization for all of the continued work that you and your team do to make children's lives just a little bit happier and settled when they're in scary scenarios in the hospital. And for being part of the Raising Kindness podcast, it's sincerely appreciate the volunteer opportunity and your time.

Luke Lawrence:
Well, you're very welcome, Becki. And thanks for the opportunity and our part. We don't advertise, so we appreciate you reaching out to us.

Becki Zerr:
Next up we're going to hear from a very active 10 Teddy Bears Anonymous volunteer Candis Hildebrandt. And as a special guest, we're going to be joined by her daughter Kinley. Welcome to the show ladies. Thanks for having us. So glad you're here. This is the very first time that I've had the opportunity to have a mother-daughter team on the show together, and I really think that both of you are going to add such unique perspectives. So, let's get started with you first, Candace, if that's okay. What got you started with volunteering for Teddy Bears Anonymous?

Candis Hildebrandt:
Well, Kinley's first teddy bear, she actually received three months old, and she's had various ones throughout her life. And we've always very active with raising toys and donations for the pediatric ward in Saskatoon. And we didn't have these teddy bears in our hometown of Kindersley, so we decided that we would raise the money and bring the teddy bears here to Kindersley. We know firsthand how amazing these bears are for children. And honestly, we wouldn't have these bears if it wasn't for Luke, but also for the volunteers who are raising money to pay for these teddy bears.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely. I'm just curious, I mean, you have spent many years then volunteering for the organization. What type of volunteer roles have you been able to experience so far?

Candis Hildebrandt:
Well, we've kind of done a little behind the scenes. The first volunteering we did, my son did a lemonade stand. He went out, it was like 30 degrees one summer day in 2017. And all the money he raised, he's like, "Mom, I'm going to donate this money to Teddy Bears Anonymous for kids like Kinley, so we can have more bears, so they don't run out." So that was kind of the beginning of it. And then we'd go to Saskatoon for appointments, and we'd see the little jars everywhere. So we'd donate there. And then when we actively decided that we were going to try and bring the teddy bears to the Kindersley hospital, we got ahold of my son's school. And they actually did, I think it was like they did sold sundaes like ice cream sundaes at school.
So, they actually raised quite a bit of money for that. We had West Central Abilities here in town. Their clients saved all their change and raised money as well to bring the organization here. So it's not just us, we have the whole community in on raising money for these bears for our town. We also have donations set up here at the hospital where people can drop off money. And then of course the kids too, whenever they do have a lemonades stand, generally they will have their donations go to Teddy Bears Anonymous.

Becki Zerr:
I love that you guys have gone at it from so many different angles and that your son has been part of it as well, and bringing forward so such creativity that kids do and such generous donations because not all kids donate their proceeds that they raise from their lemonade stands to organizations such as Teddy Bears Anonymous. So obviously you've taught him very well. That's pretty darn cool. And the sundaes, I'm sure that the kids were really excited to get that going within the school as well. So that's a cool initiative as well. So now, Ms. Kinley, I understand that you've received a few bears over the years, and I'm wondering if you can maybe share with the listeners when you receive a teddy bear from Teddy Bears Anonymous, what does it actually feel like?

Kinley:
It feels amazing to get a teddy bear because you can always have it by your side, and you always going to have it with you at all times in the hospital when you're really scared.

Candis Hildebrandt:
And also, as you can see behind us, these are all the ones that she has collected since she was three months old. So you see, there's a lot of different kinds. So, when you have kids like Kinley who are in the hospital quite often, and they start to collect them and they're like, "Well, I have two white ones and now I'm in here again, so maybe I'll get a brown one this time." So, it's quite funny. But yeah, so it gets to be, they kind of expect them now, you know what I mean? So, if you're a frequent flyer, it makes it, oh, I guess not exciting to be in the hospital, but I know the one time she was like, "I want more black bears."

Becki Zerr:
It's something positive that she can take away and hold it close to her heart and be like, "You know what? I went through a lot, and I've earned this bear."

Candis Hildebrandt:
Yeah. Oh, exactly. Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, Candis, going back to you. How do you feel when you see a child receiving an organization or teddy bear from the organization? Because I totally remember feeling just how impactful this program is when Bennett received his first bear, but I'm guessing that you have likely witnessed this several times over the years, and how does it leave you feeling each time?

Candis Hildebrandt:
Well, for them to get the bear, it feels like... At first Kinley, she was just three months old, like I said, and we came by ambulance, and honestly, we didn't get to pack a bag before we came. So, at three months old, it doesn't really do much. But when you get to the hospital and you have nothing that bear, you can hold it in front of an infant and shake it and it gives them something to touch and to look at. And even up until the last time she received one of these bears, which was just at the end of October, a routine tonsillectomy, I couldn't go in with her. And I've gone in every other time, and she received her bear and then it just brought me back. I'm like, "She gets to bring this in with her." So even though I go.

Becki Zerr:
Absolutely, it gives her a little piece of comfort, I guess. And maybe there's been times where you've held the bear well, she's in there and gives you a little bit of comfort too. I know. I probably would have-

Candis Hildebrandt:
I would definitely.

Becki Zerr:
... done that.

Candis Hildebrandt:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
So, it's interesting how many different levels it actually works out at. Candis, I'm just curious, what do you think about kids or people like myself with varying challenges coming out and volunteering for the organization?

Candis Hildebrandt:
I think it's amazing, and thank you. They do a really great job of spreading the words, but there's so many people that are in hospital, or sorry, so many children that are in hospital. They do go through bears very quickly. So, I guess any way that anyone could help spread the word that this is 100% volunteer. All these bears are bought with volunteer or donations. Sorry. So yeah, and people going through it generally know, I guess more of the meaning. So the more stories that are shared, I think, yeah, the better it is just to get the word out and how important these bears actually are.

Becki Zerr:
And I think anyone would be happy to help a little guy out when they're in such a vulnerable situation, whether it's their first time or 15th or 50th time. I think that being able to hand a teddy bear to somebody is a pretty darn cool thing.

Candis Hildebrandt:
Oh, for sure.

Becki Zerr:
So, Ms. Kinley, my last question's going to go to you. If somebody's thinking about volunteering for Teddy Bears Anonymous, just like your mom does, what would you say to them?

Kinley:
I would say it really means a lot to me because these bears have been with me all my life. They're always by my side wherever I am.

Becki Zerr:
I think that was a great reply. Thank you so much to both of you for all of the amazing volunteer work that you do as well to your son and your other family members. I'm sure everybody's on board. And thanks for the special conversation that we had today. It was a ton of fun from my end.

Candis Hildebrandt:
Thank you so much for having us. We appreciate it.

Becki Zerr:
Well, I hope you're all comfortable and settled in because we're about to once again, welcome the kids to the show and hear their thoughts on today's volunteer experience with Teddy Bears Anonymous. Welcome to the show, Bennett, and Colby.

Bennett:
Thank you.

Colby:
Thank you.

Becki Zerr:
Let's get started with our typical fashion with you guys telling us all about our volunteer opportunity that we had today with Teddy Bears Anonymous. Bennett, why don't you get started, and Colby, you remember, you can jump in at any point and help him out.

Bennett:
So, we went to a co-op in Regina. There was two of them. There was one right by our house, which is in Rochdale, and then there was another one by Harbour Landing. And we went there, and they had Christmas trees and then they had little kind of cards. Cards as ornaments. And it was like the Teddy Bears Anonymous. Every time that somebody purchased a teddy bear, they would get to either write their name or a message or something on that little card. And so, we got to take those down today.

Colby:
I thought that it was actually amazing how many cards were on the tree.

Bennett:
Yeah.

Colby:
And at the bigger co-op that we went to, they had two trees, and they had more cards that they couldn't fit on the trees too.

Becki Zerr:
Bennett, you have totally received a couple of stuffed animals from Teddy Bears Anonymous over the years. I'm just wondering if you actually remember getting them.

Bennett:
No, I don't. I don't really remember that, but I've heard Mom and Dad talk about that and about how good it was to get a teddy bear and that kind of relieve my stress a bit and it kind of makes you feel a little bit less nervous.

Becki Zerr:
And Colby, I'm wondering, have you ever received a bear from Teddy Bears Anonymous over the years? Or maybe you know somebody who has?

Colby:
I've never received a teddy bear, but I know one of my best friends, she was in the hospital for a broken arm or something when she was little, and she received a teddy bear because she was very upset and worried about what was going to happen.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, guys, what did you guys think about today's volunteer opportunity?

Colby:
I thought that it was a very good opportunity that we got to learn about what they really do in Teddy Bears Anonymous, and I thought that their bears are super cool and how much money they raise every year.

Bennett:
Yeah, I thought that it was really cool that we buy a bear and then they basically, we buy ourselves a bear and then somebody else a bear that goes to the hospital and we got two of ours, they ship it out and then it goes to the hospitals and then to wherever they're donating it. So, I'm going to open mine.

Speaker X:
Can you keep it up seems like you're having them.

Bennett:
Okay, put it up.

Speaker X:
Show us the bears.

Bennett:
All right. So, these are our bears. I got the plain one and Colby picked out the medical doctor one in scrubs.

Becki Zerr:
What was your favourite part of volunteering today?

Colby:
My favourite part was getting the bears and really learning about what goes on in the foundation.

Bennett:
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing about learning about the foundation and all that stuff and how it originated, how it started, and all that different stuff.

Becki Zerr:
What would you two say to somebody who's considering either donating or volunteering their time to Teddy Bears Anonymous?

Bennett:
100% do it. It's even like if you have a kid who is little, or even if you were a kid, you think about, "Oh, if I was a kid and was sick and stuff and went to the hospital, would I like that?" And I'm pretty sure your answer would be yes, and yeah.

Colby:
I think that it's a great experience for anyone who wants to volunteer or donate because you really get to show what you can do as a person and how you can contribute to the community.

Bennett:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Well, great job you guys. I think that we are once again able to make some fantastic memories together today, and I know that we all felt as though we were so happy to be able to contribute to make somebody else's day just a bit better. But before I let you guys run off, I'm wondering if you can please tell us about today's Kindness Challenge. And as a reminder to you, our audience, this is your opportunity to get involved and help us spread kindness all over. Simply follow the Kids' Kindness Challenge that they'll share with you. Take a couple of pictures along the way and be sure to tag us in on your social media accounts. Okay, Bennett, I'm going to toss the mic over to you guys to hear all about today's Kindness Challenge.

Colby:
For today's Kindness Challenge, we want you to go onto the Teddy Bears Anonymous website and donate a teddy bear or donate some money to them.

Bennett:
Anything really like any amount counts, it all adds up. So, take a picture and tag us in on social media.

Becki Zerr:
Well, once again, I do love the idea that you guys came up with and I really look forward to seeing everybody participate in the Kindness Challenge. All of the organizations that we've had an opportunity to volunteer at while we've been putting together each of these podcast episodes, I just feel like I have gained so much. I feel a bit guilty because I'm supposed to be the one that's supposed to be giving. I mean, of course, we go, and we help out how each organization requests our help, but I think in general, we totally do try to do a really great job over there. But we most definitely don't just show up and go through the motions. The kids and I are really there learning, thinking, and totally realizing the positive impact that each of these organizations are making on our communities and just how cool it feels to spend a couple of hours volunteering to help them out.
Suddenly, we are all just walking away from each experience feeling really great just because of the small contribution that we have been able to make. And today, once again, it did feel great to help out at Teddy Bears Anonymous, knowing that in a small way we contributed to help brighten a child's day. The kids were just so excited to be able to make a donation to Teddy Bears Anonymous, and they know that that donation will then be used to purchase teddy bears that will eventually end up in the arms of complete strangers. It's just kind of fun to think that they will be able to put a smile on a sick child's face just as somebody has once done for Bennett. And knowing that they were able to contribute to all of this, it just put a huge smile on their face, and it couldn't help me feel just so full of happiness.
I totally can't think of something that represents childhood better than a teddy bear. Really, it goes to show that some of the simplest of actions result in some of the biggest of impacts. And that's the end of this episode of Raising Kindness. We look forward to you guys participating in the Kindness Challenge, and be sure to check us out on social media and tag us in on your social media accounts. Thanks so much for watching and take care. And that's a wrap on this episode of Raising Kindness with me, Becki Zerr. Thanks so much to all of my guests and to you for tuning in. Be sure to check us out on social media. You'll find us on Facebook and Instagram at raising.kindness.podcast. And don't forget you're going to want to like and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube and your favourite podcast platform. See you again soon.