Teddy Bear Fund Adult Trike Race
(at Concord Market Days 2008)

A Very Special Day

Elizabeth is a delightful, charming young lady, 11 years of age who happens to have a series of serious medical issues. She has been raised since the age of one by her grandmother and grandfather. In an ironic twist of fate, Grandma is battling with her third bout of cancer. This situation was brought to our attention by one of our partner organizations, Partners In Health. Generally, the Teddy Bear Fund steps in to give the siblings of the ill child a "special day" but in this case, it was obvious to us all that here was a family that could really use a day of comfort and happiness, a rare commodity for families facing these types of situations.

Saturday, April 12 was designated by our members as Elizabeth's day. After first consulting Grandma on what Elizabeth's favorite things were, and which activities she could participate in, we went into action! We met at McDonalds at 9:30 AM, using it as a staging area; we began a day of fun and gifts. Our plan was to visit the family every hour with new surprises. Elizabeth's two young cousins were invited to join in the festivities.

On our first visit, Elizabeth was presented with a framed award of Excellence in being a "Terrific Kid". She was more than surprised, as everyone had done a great job of keeping this day a secret. We had learned that she is a voracious reader and loves to swim so she was given a series of six age appropriate books featuring a clan of cats, and a certificate allowing her free admission to the pool at a local hotel. We adults melted as the huge smile swept her face and her distinctive dimples deepened. We told her that her day had just begun and that we would return.

Gram had informed us that like every young girl Elizabeth was a huge Hannah Montana fan (Duh). So on to the next trip we delivered a Hanna Touring bus that opened into a recording studio. It played her music and was filled with multiple doo-dads to play with. In addition we added two more versions of Hannah dolls and clothing which sang additional songs. Elizabeth did well to control her enthusiasm until we were out the door, at which time we heard the girlish squeals of delight!

At 11:45 more members and two member's children met us at McDonalds. It was lunchtime and Gram had informed us that Elizabeth's favorite food was Chinese take-out and given us a list of her usual choices. We purchased enough to stuff not only her but the cousins and grandparents as well and delivered it to them. The smiles grew and the dimples got deeper.

We had learned that our "Terrific Kid" had a great fondness for animals and held a special place in her heart for wolves. She had not only studied them extensively, but had even adopted one through an agency in Massachusetts. At 1:00 we surprised her with a variety of wolf related items. Included were a wonderfully life-like wolf puppet, wolf puzzles (she and gram make puzzles together) and a beautiful wall hanging of wolves. It was obvious that we had touched a soft spot as she checked out the items with a noticeable reverence.

Our final surprise incorporated Elizabeth's favorite activity...Bowling. All of our members involved in the day brought Elizabeth, Gram, and the cousins to Boutwells for some bowling. Boutwells (of Concord) provided many gifts to the kids including free shoe rental and free strings! What a ball we had. The laughter and sheer joy of the day, the hugs and warm thank yous were payback in plenty for the member’s hard work in making this happen.

I hope you've enjoyed sharing this experience. We bring you these examples of what the Teddy Bear Fund does to show you what we do with your donations and participation in our fund raisers. For those of you who have not yet jumped on board, we offer you the opportunity to join in with us in making life just a bit happier for children in need.