McCallion
Quest

Old Teddy Bears give kids around the world some comfort

By: Jennifer Piggott,  Staff writer

           Many of us at Hazel remember, just last month, the announcements that requested that the students and faculty of Hazel McCallion Senior Public School  bring in teddy bears and stuffed animals for the Good Bears of the World Canada charitable company.  But did you realize that the donations we made are now making a difference in the days of children around the world?

  Many of us never gave it a thought that the old teddy bear that was tucked away in a old box, or collecting dust under your bed, would now be helping a child whose home had just burned down, or had been robbed.  That old teddy bear that once comforted you, is now helping a child half a world away feel better about their situation.

           "They're for children in distress", says Mrs. Lobach, one of six teacher sponsors who runs the McCallion Community Service Club.  She and Mme. Hum started the club six years ago.  Mme. Hum is taking a break this year, but there are other teachers who are actively involved in the organization of the club and its activities.  This year, the teacher sponsors are Ms. Slusarchuk, Miss Spencer, Mrs. Agarwal, Miss Pearson, Mrs. Pynkoski, and Mrs. Lobach. 

The teachers aren't the only important members of the club. It’s actually the students who belong to the club actually do most of the work.  They help organize the community fundraising events that go on at our school, and do almost all the work for them.  During this fundraiser, they had to make advertisements, keep a tally of the bears and they also had the somewhat pleasurable task of sorting them.  Although organizing an activity like this is hard work, it's worth it to be able to help the community inside and outside of the school.  That's actually how they came up with the club. 

Our school motto is, IF IT'S TO BE IT'S UP TO ME, so, in this spirit,  it's up to young people to help the communities we belong to.  There were many students interested when they came up with the idea for the club six years ago, and it's still going strong now!  To date, there are approximately 80 student members actively involved in the club. 

                                                                                                                           from left to right in bear costumes: Mr. Jones, Mrs. Carr, and Mr. Mapstone

This fundraising event began when the vice-president of our parent council gave the club the number of Mr. Cotterell, the chairman of the Good Bears of the World Canada Organization.  He helped the club to get everything ready for the fundraiser, and then the club went ahead with it.  The club members set a goal to collect 1000 bears, and we eventually met this goal after a few extra weeks of collecting.  Even though the contest and fundraiser was over, Hazel students were not tired of giving to this worthy cause. Even after the deadline, they were still bringing in teddy bears and other stuffed animals to help the cause.

On February 6th, Mr. Cotterell came to visit the school and club.  He presented the members with plaque as a token of thanks for all the work the McCallion community did for the organization. 

Everyone who brought in bears or a bear should be very proud of themselves for helping the children in distress here in Canada and all over the world.  Good job, guys!