Bears keep kids smiling

Area children in need may be a little happier thanks to a group of Goodrich High School students
An annual fundraiser recently held by the Goodrich chapter of the National Honor Society gathered almost 50 Teddy bears, along with $887 for the pediatric centers at Hurley Medical Center, Gensys Health System and Lapeer Regional Medical Center. The new Teddy bears are given to children while they are in the hospital.
GHS students Rachel Kern and Melyssa Moors have been the co-chairpersons for the drive the past two years.
The bears were collected between Jan. 5-21.
‘We had so many used Teddy bears last year that we couldn’t find a place to donate them all to,? said Kern. ‘We wanted to focus on giving more bears to the local hospitals, who only accept new Teddy bears.?
The previous year, the drive received hardly any new bears, but so many used bears that there are still some left over, waiting to be donated. Kern and the rest of the committee plan on donating the remaining bears to local fire and police departments, who will accept the used Teddy bears.
A pizza party was motivation for the high school classrooms who competed.
Travis McDowell’s math class eventually won, having donated more than $300 for the Teddy bears.