Rotary Cares Holiday Bear Project

In an effort to show our love and concern for the sick and injured children in our community, especially through the holidays, The Rotary Club of Milledgeville developed a project:  Rotary Cares Holiday Bear Program.

The club purchased 100 teddy bears with “Rotary Cares” stamped on their tee shirts.  These bears were given to children admitted to the local hospital (Oconee Regional Medical Center) or seen in the Emergency Treatment Center. 

Approximately 87% of the club members wrote out well wishes on ornaments during a regular Rotary meeting to be used on a special Rotary tree.  .

The local school system participated by making ornaments during their art class time.  Hospital staff in both departments were delighted to give out the bears through the season.

$395.02 was spent to purchase the bears, everything else was donated.  The money was raised through an auction held the previous year.

The Christmas season can be a stressful time of year, and when you add into it a sick or injured child, life can seem too tough to handle.   In those times, the smallest things can make a huge difference.  Our club felt if we could bring a smile to just one child’s face, the entire project would be worth it…..and there turned out to be many smiles.  All 100 Rotary holiday bears were given out during the holiday season.  Not only were we able to provide a festive and bright area for sick children to enjoy, according to the nursing staff, the children were so excited to get the bears.   The Rotary Club of Milledgeville is always looking for ways to make a positive difference in our community – this was certainly accomplished through the Holiday Bear project.  It showed that Rotarians genuinely care about their fellow man and also gave the children of this community a little taste of what Rotary is all about, “Service Above Self”.