In November and December, Fairfield University’s Office of Alumni Relations is swarmed with a mountain of teddy bears. That’s because, since December of 1999, the University’s Student Alumni Association (a group of awesome students that connect alumni with our campus community), has been helping alumni provide teddy bears to hospitalized children during the holiday season with their program Teddy Bears with Love. As TBWL celebrates its twentieth year of combining alumni, the campus community, and philanthropy, we thought of five reasons to help the teddy bear pile grow a lot, lot higher in 2018.
1. 20K and going up.
That’s right. Since 1999, when TBWL started with 500 bears, it’s given over 20,000 of the little guys to children’s hospitals nationwide, and that crazy number only grows when you chip in.
2. It brings the (University) family together.
Part of what makes TBWL so special is how it brings the whole Fairfield University family together. Students get involved on campus because of the Student Alumni Association’s hard work, graduates get involved with events at alumni chapters from Boston to California, and everyone’s efforts come together in that massive stack of plushy cuteness at Fairfield’s Office of Alumni Relations. What’s more, TBWL unites Fairfield in spirit, showing that the generosity and selflessness instilled by being #JesuitEducated spans generations of Stags, and follows them wherever they go.
3. And speaking of spirit…
The holiday season is all about giving of oneself out of appreciation and love. Getting involved with TBWL is the perfect way to kickstart your season: Not only does it take place during the two jolliest months of the year, but by donating teddy bears (or $ for teddy bears), you can directly bring joy and warmth to children as they face difficult times.
4. And while we're talking about those #JesuitEducated ideals…
We can’t emphasize enough how important being “men and women for others” is in our University family. That philosophy of selflessness is one of the ideals at the heart of receiving a Jesuit education, and TBWL is something that not only embodies that, but makes you feel super warm and fuzzy when you join in.
5. But at the end of the day, it’s all about tradition—and even more about the kids.
As they come up on 20 years of Teddy Bears with Love, the Student Alumni Association wants to make it all the way to 1,500 bears in a single holiday season. If you give, you can say you were part of a joyful milestone in Fairfield’s history. More importantly, you can say you were one of the people who helped 1,500 children have a brighter holiday season. What gift can you give yourself that’s better than that?
The 2018 Teddy Bears with Love Drive kicks off November 1, and is accepting gifts at alumni events and the Office of Alumni Relations on campus until December 7. Learn more, and thank you for joining in the spirit of the season with Fairfield University.
Last Modified: 11-16-2020 04:06 PM
