Bear-stuffing fundraiser is a cuddly good time
POTSDAM — The recipe for making a teddy bear was simple to follow: Pick out a favorite bear, stuff it, choose a colorful ribbon to tie around its neck and then sew the back up.
Hannawa Falls resident Ellen M. MacMaster wanted to raise awareness and funds to help people beat breast cancer. She and some friends gathered Saturday at the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce office to make plush teddy bears.
Participants had a variety of bears to choose from, with each one containing some pink. Each colorful bear was hand-sewn by Mrs. MacMaster, who makes stuffed animals under the 'EmBears label.
"I just love stuffed animals," said Mrs. MacMaster, wearing a pink T-shirt.
She hosts parties for people to stuff their own animals, including penguins, rabbits and teddy bears. The idea for the teddy-bear-stuffing fundraiser came from a client.
"This is a great way to help out some groups that help people dealing with breast cancer," she said.
The participants each received a certificate of appreciation and a poem Mrs. MacMaster wrote in September titled "Bear With a Heart." A small heart also could be sewn on the outside of the bear, or placed inside.
She left a simple message for each person who stuffed a bear: "Remember to give your bear daily hugs and a bit of honey on occasion."
Eighty percent of the proceeds raised from the event will go to Canton-Potsdam Hospital's North Country Mobile Mammography service and the Gouverneur Business Women's Breast Cancer Fund. Each bear cost $30 to stuff and decorate.
The women later visited Mullins Family Restaurant in Gouverneur for another session of bear stuffing.
Mrs. MacMaster hopes to host another event in October to help highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She can be reached at 244-9733.
ON THE NET
'EmBear
www.embears.com
