KGH Auxiliary launches annual Teddy Bear campaign

The Kingston General Hospital Auxiliary, and its financial partners Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 and Branch 560 Ladies Auxiliary, today launched its 2016 ‘Show Children You Care’ Teddy Bear Campaign to support the purchase of patient-care equipment for the pediatric program at Kingston General Hospital.

This year’s campaign runs from November 14 to December 21 and has a goal of raising $20,000 through the sponsorship of 200 teddy bears. The bears can be sponsored for a donation of $100 each. The money will be used to purchase a Ritter 230 Hi-Lo exam bed as well as two larger-sized cribs to be used in the Pediatrics Unit. These items will help keep our patients safe, secure and comfortable while receiving care.

“Every year the pediatric program benefits from the generosity of the KGH Auxiliary and their financial partners who provide our frontline staff with the most up-to-date equipment at the bedside,” says Kellie Kitchen, Director of the Pediatrics Program. “We are very grateful for their ongoing support and commitment in partnering with us to provide outstanding care always.”

Taking part in the campaign’s launch was Tara McCallan. Her daughter Pip has been admitted to the KGH Pediatric Unit on several occasions over the course of the past four years and McCallan says the highly-trained staff and specialized pediatric equipment in the unit made the experience a little easier.

“We've spent a lot of time within the hospital and it's brought great comfort knowing we had the best care possible,” says McCallan. “Not only did we always receive excellent, compassionate service and have the proper specialized equipment available, but we were made to feel comfortable and safe. We’ve seen first-hand how powerful and needed this campaign is." 

The campaign also helps make a child’s stay in hospital more comfortable by providing them with a plush teddy bear when they need it most.

“By sponsoring a bear for $100, you enhance patient care and ensure that a child receives a fuzzy friend when they’re in need of reassurance,” says Heather Breck, Chair of the Auxiliary Teddy Bear Campaign.

When a bear is ‘sponsored’, it is adorned with a tag acknowledging the name of its donor(s) and takes its place on the bough of the festive trees in the historic Watkins Lobby at KGH. Sponsors receive a charitable receipt upon request and a companion bear as a keepsake, which can be donated back to hospitalized children.

“At KGH, we are committed to our young patients and their families to ensure they receive quality and family-centred care during their hospital stay,” says Dr. Bob Connelly, Head of Pediatrics at KGH, Hotel Dieu Hospital and Queen’s University. “With generous support from the community we are able to achieve this goal.”

For many years the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 and the Branch 560 Ladies Auxiliary have supported the campaign. This year their financial support will cover the cost of the campaign including the purchase of the bears, ensuring that 100 per cent of the donated funds go towards the fundraising goal. 

If you would like to sponsor a bear this year, you can:

• Download a donation form
• Call the KGH Auxiliary office: 613-549-6666 ext. 6352 or e-mail: KGH Auxiliary Assistant Theresa Hill
• Drop by the Volunteer Office on Connell 1 at Kingston General Hospital