GREAT CAUSE: Operation Teddy Bear Care

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

Jan 2, 2009 Update: We decided to extend the deadline for delivering 1,000 gifts to Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008. We still need people to purchase 513 gifts to reach the goal, so please purchase a donation package for $10-$30usd at teddybearcare.org today if you can.

I didn't need to search hard to find our featured cause for December 2008. Operation Teddy Bear Care, which was recently started by fellow 29Giver, Maureen Forbes of Wilderness, South Africa was a natural choice. This cause is close to my heart because Mbali, the medicine woman who originally gave me the "29 Gifts Prescription," is from South Africa. In addition to being a healer, Mbali is an AIDS educator and is very passionate about improving conditions for people in her native country--especially children.

Operation Teddy Bear Care was born from a single blog post from Maureen here on the 29Gifts Community site. Maureen wrote that she wanted to make 100 hand-sewn teddy bears and deliver them to South African children living in poverty due to the AIDS epidemic in their country. But Maureen only had enough materials to make 20 bears. Many 29Givers jumped into action and Maureen quickly increased the scope of her project. Maureen is still delivering teddy bears, but she's now also helping relieve the problems of malnutrition and starvation for the children she gives to. And she's also training some local women to sew and cook to give them marketable job skills. Learn more about the Operation Teddy Bear Care December goal below and find out how you can help!

OPERATION TEDDY BEAR CARE DECEMBER 2008 GOAL: Provide 1,000 South African children who have been impacted by the AIDS epidemic with a personal gift of a humble teddy bear and some much-needed nourishment. More than 1.2 million South African children live in abject poverty without any personal comforts. Many don't even get one meal a day. For them, it is just a matter of surviving from one day to the next. We want to show these children people care about them, bring a smile to their faces, give them a toy of their own to cuddle and a little nourishment.

We strongly suggest purchasing Package 2, Package 4 or Package 6, each of which now include basic food packs in addition to teddy bears. Malnutrition and starvation are major problems for these children. 100% of the money raised through this project goes to help provide comfort for South African children whose lives have been impacted by the AIDS epidemic.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1. Purchase a DONATION PACKAGE (or 2 or 3) today! They are affordably priced between $10-$30usd.

2. SIGN UP as an official supporter of Operation Teddybear Care on their website at www.teddybearcare.org.

3. HELP SPREAD THE WORD. Show your support by forwarding the urgent email below to ALL of your friends and family today.

Subject Line: Need help from 531 people to reach a New Year's Goal

Hi There. Happy New Year!

Because you're one of my friends and colleagues who is well connected and generous, I'm emailing you to ask for help spreading the word about a goal I've set. I'm trying to buy 1,000 gifts for South African Children living in poverty by Wednesday, Dec 31. Today is Tuesday, December 30 and we only need 513 more gifts to be purchased. You can help for as little as $10... or just help by forwarding this email. If you open this email after 12/31, you can still help because the kids will still be in South Africa suffering unbelievable poverty.

Did you know that thousands of South African children are left vulnerable or orphaned EACH DAY as a result of the AIDS crisis in their country? I have pledged my support to Operation Teddy Bear Care to show 1,000 of these kids people care about them.

Currently, 1.2 million children live in abject poverty without any personal comforts. For them, it is just a matter of surviving from one day to the next. Many do not consistently get even one meal a day. The aim of Operation Teddy Bear is to provide the personal gift of a teddy bear and food care package to 1,000 of these kids this holiday season. Malnutrition and starvation are major problems for these children and many have no personal comforts to call their own.

How it works: To avoid wasting funds and fossil fuel on shipping, you can purchase a donation package and all items are bought locally in South Africa by the Operation Teddy Bear Care team members there. You just need to make a small donation between $10-$30.

Please purchase a donation package today. Thank you so much for helping me bring a SMILE to the faces of these children. Go to http://www.teddybearcare.org now. There are lots of photos on the site and stories of how much good is being done with the money we're raising.

Thanks,
ME

P.S. Please help spread the word to others about this great cause. Forward this email to family and friends.

OPERATION TEDDY BEAR CARE
S.M.I.L.E. -- Small Miracles in Life Exist
Helping South African Children Impacted by HIV/AIDS
http://www.teddybearcare.org

Find more photos like this on Operation Teddy Bear Care

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

We just got a new report in from the South Africa Teddy Bear Care team and now enough has been raised to deliver 304 gifts. 686 more needed!

[Stacey S.]

that is so awesome!! i just donated 4 bears today!

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

I'm sending my email out tomorrow!

[Erin - 29Gifts Community Manager]

I sent mine out a couple of days ago. I hope everyone LISTENS (I have a notoriously stubborn family) and maybe they'll pass along the idea!

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

This email has been updated because we now offer food care packs with our donation packages. After visiting a couple of clinics and orphanages to make deliveries, our South African team discovered that many of these children do not consistently get even one meal a day. We suggest purchasing packges 2, 4 or 6, which come with teddy bears and some basic grocery staple items.

[sharon]

I already had 5 bought in my name from friends who are honoring this! YEAH!

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

Operation Teddy Bear Care is our "official" cause for December. They need our help to reach their goal of delivering 1,000 gifts to South African children living in poverty by December 31, 2008.

[sharon]

Please, help these kids have a Christmas!
We need 638 more bears!
Spread the word, buy bears.

SMILE!
-s

[Erin - 29Gifts Community Manager]

we are SO gonna hit this goal!

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

Yes! We can do it together.

[sharon]

Thanks Rebecca!
-s

[Cami Walker -- 29Gifts Founder]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that last week--the week of thanksgiving was the slowest so far for donation package purchases since the project launched a month ago. I hope many of you will commit to send the "giving up my holiday gifts" email to as many family and friends as possible to spread the word. Scroll up to the main part of this string to copy and paste the email.
Thanks!
Cami