The sixth Annual Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite Fundraiser opens today, Friday, December 2nd — with all sorts of new and exciting additions.
There is a new big bear, of course, I think perhaps our biggest yet. After many, many votes on Facebook, our website, blog, and and email, you chose Quinn (as in Aquinnah). We are so excited to have another girl bear join Chappy.
Now our Big Bear family has Edgar, Chappy, Obie, TisBeary, Lambert, and Quinn. She is so cuddly and so sweet. We can’t wait for you to meet her. Even Lookout-for-Lucy had to get in the fun!
Captain Collins Cottage
The Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite even has a new cottage to call home at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown. It’s the Captain Collins Cottage #20. This is a great change for the bears. There are now two bedrooms filled with furry friends waiting to be loved.
Lucky for us, we had an amazing donation of several hundred bears from Island resident Rose Walsh. Her mother was an avid collector of all things teddy bears, and her legacy and love of them lives on at the Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite. To find out more about this heartwarming story, click here.
Happy Healthy Kids
Also new this year is the cause that the Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite Fundraiser is supporting. The Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club has launched a new program to address the issue of hunger among children on the Vineyard. The initiative is called Happy Healthy Kids, also known as H2K for short.
Happy Healthy Kids was created in partnership with the Club, Island Grown Schools, and Vineyard Nutrition, to help feed hundreds of children who attend the Boys & Girls Club After School Program, and who otherwise may not be getting enough to eat.
One In Four Children
Did you know that one in four Island children are in need of food? Many children have reduced or free lunch at school, and that might be all they eat for the day. When they come to the Club, they have the opportunity to have FREE, nutritious, food. H2K is focused on providing healthy food to provide complete nourishment. To find out more about H2K, click here.
Fundraising Goal $15,000
We are working to raise $15,000 for this vital, new program, which each week serves as many as 500 elementary school aged children. Because this cause is so important, there is now a suggested donation of $5.00 when visiting the suite. However, we welcome you to donate more, as 100% of the proceeds go directly to H2K.
Donate Online Or In-Person
While we joyously welcome hundreds of families to the actual Teddy Bear Suite each year, it is online that supporters from all over the world have helped us reach our fundraising goal each year. Donations are tax deductible. We’re happy to report that we’ve already raised $2,350!
In the past five years, the Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite Fundraiser has raised over $50,000 for the Club and its After School Programs, and we hope this is our biggest year yet. More bears, more need = more money for Island children.
Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite Hours 2016
December 2nd – 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
December 3rd – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
December 4th – 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
December 5th – 8th – 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (weekday hours)
Christmas in Edgartown
December 9th – 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December 10th – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
December 11th – 10:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
More events to follow, but in the mean time, get ready to have some fun and run – the 2nd Annual Teddy Bear Trot and Fun Run is happening! We encourage your most festive and outrageous attire!
If you’d like to arrange a private visit please email mvtbs@pointbrealty.com. For up to date information, visit mvteddybearsuite.com or our Facebook Page.
We hope you enjoy this year’s very special Martha’s Vineyard Teddy Bear Suite, a place were holiday memories are made.