Millions of extraordinary children have come through the doors of Build-A-Bear Workshop®
stores over the years, and today, the Company honors 10 incredible
children as its 2014 Huggable Heroes – a long-running Build-A-Bear
Workshop initiative that recognizes and rewards charitable-minded youths
who are making the world a better place.
Build-A-Bear
Workshop is awarding each of the Huggable Heroes a $5,000 scholarship
and a $2,500 donation to a charity of his or her choice. Since its
inception in 2004, Build-A-Bear Workshop has invested more than $1
million in recognizing and honoring the heroic efforts of more than 100
“Huggable Heroes” in the United States, Canada and the U.K.
The
2014 Huggable Heroes contest was open to children ages eight to 18 in
the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Build-A-Bear Workshop
received more than 500 nominations, which were narrowed down to 48
finalists in July. An independent judging organization oversaw the
selection of the 10 Huggable Heroes.
Since
2004, more than 12,000 kids have been nominated for the Build-A-Bear
Workshop Huggable Heroes program. The 100-plus winners through the years
have collectively raised more than $10.3 million and gathered 300
million items for their causes.
The
Build-A-Bear Huggable Heroes “Class of 2014” is being honored for
making an incredible impact through fundraising, volunteerism, granting
wishes and lifting the hearts and spirits of the less fortunate in our
society. From supporting children who are battling cancer to providing
relief and appreciation to military veterans, to raising funds and
awareness for issues faced by teenage girls around the world, this
group of amazing young people has raised more than $800,000 in support
of a variety of unique causes.
2014 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes
Zachary Abel, 14, Sewickley, PA
Zachary is a former Make-A-Wish recipient who
created Make A Move for Make-A-Wish – a bike, walk and run event to
support wish kids in his community. Now cancer free, Zack organized the
Make-A-Wish fundraiser to give back to the organization that granted his
wish for a T-Rex Dinosaur statue for his backyard when he was ill. To
date, Zack has raised more than $65,000 for Make-A-Wish and helped grant
16 wishes for children battling cancer.
Michael Bervell, 16, Snohomish, WA
Michael
started an organization called Hugs for Ghana to mobilize students in
his community through volunteering, fundraising, and collecting in-kind
donations. In 2013 and 2014, he organized two Ghanaian culture night
fundraisers in his community and collected more than $12,000.
Additionally, Michael partners with a range of organizations and dozens
of schools to organize donation drives that have garnered more than
$20,000 worth of sports gear and collected nearly 4,000 books, all to
benefit Ghanaian youth.
Daniella Cohen, 16, Highland Park, IL
Daniella
founded GIVE, a letter writing exchange, to promote cultural
understanding and education. GIVE pen pals learn to empathize and
interact with a different culture that they otherwise would not have
been exposed to. GIVE has sent thousands of letters and flip-flops,
signed with messages of hope, to schools in India, Uganda, Rwanda,
Israel and Iraq. Daniella has also spearheaded an effort to provide
Internet service and laptops to students in Uganda.
Sarah Gordon, 16, Portland, OR
Sarah's
passion for learning led her to motivate adolescent girls in her
community to come together to raise funds and awareness for teenage
girls around the world. Sarah brought the United Nations Foundation's
Girl Up campaign to Oregon. Girl Up gives American girls the
opportunity to support UN programs that help some of the world's
hardest-to-reach adolescent girls through education and inspiration.
Thanks to Sarah, there are more than 200 students volunteering for the
six different chapters of Girl Up in Oregon.
Izzi Hickmott, 16, Brighton, UK
Diagnosed
with Type I diabetes at age 10, Izzi became eager to share her
experiences to help others. In addition to supporting the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) through fundraising, Izzi has
supported other young people with Type 1 diabetes by becoming an
advocate in the Houses of Parliament. Additionally, Izzi has
collaborated with local Council officials and representatives from the
National Health Service to put in place relevant and proper support for
young people with T1 diabetes in schools.
Kylie Kuhns, 17, Mifflinburg, PA
After
losing her sister to leukemia in 2005, Kylie wanted to help other
children and families diagnosed with cancer. She founded Kelsey’s Dream,
and recently developed and introduced Hopper the Cancer Crusher, a
fluffy green frog play therapy toy for children undergoing cancer
treatment. To date, the play therapy toy has been delivered to 24
hospitals throughout the nation, with a goal of distributing Hopper the
Cancer Crusher to all pediatric oncology hospitals across the U.S.
Kelsey’s Dream has mobilized 400 volunteers, raised approximately
$265,000, and produced 8,000 therapy play toys to date.
Rachel Ley, 17, Stevens Point, WI
Rachel
started Literacy for Little Ones, an early literacy program that
encourages parents to read to their infants and provides book packages
to newborns’ families. What began at Rachel’s local community hospital
in 2009 has expanded to four additional hospitals in Wisconsin, one
hospital in Minnesota, and one hospital in Nicaragua, impacting
approximately 520 infants per month. Thus far, Literacy for Little Ones
has distributed book packages to 7,400 families, and has over 700
volunteers.
Brodie Meredith, 13, Walsall, UK
Brodie
and family launched Livvy’s Smile, a charitable endeavor in memory of
Brodie’s sister Livvy. Livvy’s Smile’s mission is to create memory
making days for children with disabilities, together with their
families. Brodie does many things to help Livvy’s Smile including
coordinating events and sending mailings. In addition to her own time
and effort, Brodie inspires friends to fundraise and challenges them to
support children with disabilities.
Casey Sokolovic, 16, Winterville, NC
Casey
inspires at-risk students to get involved, raise awareness and learn
the plight of the world’s sea turtle population through STEM-focused
(science, technology, engineering and mathematics) environmental camps.
She also hosts a year-round community calendar of learning and service
activities. Over the last three summers, the camps have provided 340
at-risk youth opportunities to participate in STEM-focused, nature
activities. In total, Casey’s efforts have raised more than $350,000 to
help fund these camps and calendar of activities.
Alexis Werner, 18, Pittsburgh, PA
Alexis
created an organization called Seeds of Hope, which provides relief for
veterans and their families affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Through Seeds of Hope Alexis has planted 15 self-sustaining gardens
nationwide, to provide veterans and their families access to fresh and
healthy produce. She has also created a children’s book about veteran
appreciation, and a documentary that describes the psychological effects
of war.
.
Posts
