The Teddy Bear Project recently had a very successful fundraiser hosted by Bert’s Black Widow
Harley Davidson in Port Charlotte, Florida. Even the weather which had been unseasonably cold
for Florida, warmed up just enough for the riders to be comfortable as they rode in to support us
in caring for children who are grieving or have experienced a crisis in their lives. The GasHouse
Gorillas was the featured band who have a large fan bad of their own which just compounded the
large attendance at this event. Events such as these are not just about the donations received by
our non-profit but it is also about the people who are making those donations, and are willing to
share their stories with us, such as the retired policeman who donated his last teddy bear who
rode with him in his patrol car when he was dispatched to emergency calls involving children.
Or, it was about one HD rider who stood 6”5,” yet went out of his way to bring us s tiny teddy of
approximately 6” tall that is just waiting for a child to love her. At the other end of the teddy bear
spectrum, the final donation of our event stands five feet tall, and certainly won the “biggest
teddy bear” donation “contest” to date. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring story of our event was a
lady who came to our table carrying a large snow white teddy bear holding a heart. She
explained that the lady who had owned the teddy bear had recently passed away, so she thought
she would donate it to the local Goodwill store in town. Literally, on the way to Goodwill, she
saw our Teddy Bear Project event, and “knew” that this teddy bear would continue to bring love
into the life of a child.