'Spread the love': Teddy Bear Anonymous scavenger hunt deemed a success
Teddy Bears Anonymous teamed up with the Southland Mall on Saturday for a family focused fundraiser.
Creating a scavenger hunt spanning the southern Regina shopping mall, the first 300 participants received a free teddy bear and a ballot entry to win a giant bear.
“For people to come here and they kind of get to know the charity a little bit, and then support the charity as well because we have been accepting donations as well, which is awesome because each one of those bears costs $5 to buy," Mark Johnston, a board member with the non-profit, told CTV News.
The mall was happy to have the ability to host an in-person fundraising event, which was described as one more step toward that 'back to normal' feeling.
"We thought this was a great opportunity to spread the love and we do a lot of community events at the mall as well with our community hub. So we have a community room and a community kiosk we like to utilize for these events so it was just a perfect fit for us," Kaitlyn Jenkins, marketing coordinator for the Southland Mall said.
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Teddy Bears Anonymous brings stuffed animals to children in hospitals in the hopes of lifting their spirits.
"Children are always being admitted into hospitals and I would say probably more so in the winter months you know with flus and different things like that going around,” Johnston explained.
“So I think that's why it's important during the month of January and throughout the winter months to raise awareness.”
The lineup for the event before 12:30 p.m. was to the door, and within the first two hours, bears were in short supply.
Those who participated enjoyed the hunt, but most of all, receiving the bear at the end. The animals that were handed out were the same as the bears gifted in hospitals.
According to Teddy Bears Anonymous, advertising for the non-profit is minimal.
However, the hope is that these types of events spread the word for much needed donations.
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