There’s still time to sponsor a child through the Holiday Bear Project—and/or purchase merchandise to support the program.
Each year, Holiday Bear provides gifts for children whose families are facing financial or other hardships. Children in need are nominated by their teachers, and sponsors provide gifts to brighten the holidays for those students.
“We are so thankful to everyone who helped support this important program last year as we navigated through the holidays during the pandemic,” says CEF President and CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey. “This year we’ve streamlined the program so that it’s easier to sponsor students and know what to buy for a child.”
DeLancey says recent years have been hard on schoolchildren, and the pandemic has had a negative impact on many families’ finances. “We want kids to be able to celebrate the holidays and have a fun experience. This program allows kids to get gifts who otherwise would not receive any,” she says.
“I’m looking forward to being able to provide for even more students this year and build CEF’s capacity to give to students across the state through Holliday Bear and other CEF programs,” DeLancey, a Darien teacher, adds.
Highlights of this year’s Holiday Bear Project include an updated logo, and for each child you sponsor, CEF will provide a personalized commemorative gift tag and a standard size duffel bag to enclose and transport your gifts. If you do not want to shop, you can contribute a monetary donation instead.
You can also support the Holiday Bear Project by purchasing a sweatshirt, scarf, mug, hat, bag, or blanket. A portion of your purchase will go to the CEF Children’s Fund so that students in need will receive special gifts for the holidays.
