His name is Ken

Ken and I

Ken is his name. We visit him regularly at the nursing home. I first met him over my spring break in April. He is such a kind and funny guy, but there is something really special about him. Ken is a diabetic and he has a couple other medical problems. Before he went into the nursing home he lived at home with his wife. His wife spent a lot of time taking care of him to where it would wear her down. Ken saw this and wanted to do something about it. So he said he would move in to the nursing home. It wasn't an easy decision to make.

Ken has been at the nursing home now for several months and seams to be adjusting well. He does miss somethings at home which is understandable. We started visiting Ken and brought him some cookies. He really enjoys our visits especially with Stacey.



Ken is a big dog lover. He use to have a little Chihuahua named Tequila. She use to ride with him and his wife on the boat that they had. I love Ken so much. He means a lot to me. I am so lucky to have Ken in my life.

Why the Teddy Bear Project?

Trying on hats @ the nursing home when I was 7. 

Many people don't know the story behind the Teddy Bear Project. So I want to take a second to share it with everyone.

Growing up I use to visit the nursing home with my dad and our beloved dog Gracie. I was little so I don't remember to much. All I know is I really enjoyed visiting the folks especially Marget. She was one of the people who I became somewhat close too. After visit for a couple years the nursing home closed down.

So we stopped going for a while. Back in 2009 we started going again. Gracie had passed away and we had our puppy Stacey Mae. Stacey was just a little over 11 months old when she first visited. Stacey is a very mellow dog and really good with people.

The first people I had visited was Gene and Ruby. They were married for over 60 years. Gene was almost 100 years old. He talked softly but can remember a lot of things from his life. He would share stories about living in Colorado and pets he had in the past. He really enjoyed getting visits from Stacey Mae. She really helped brighten their day some.

Ruby "Rolling Ruby" Gene's wife. 

The first time I visited Gene he grabbed my hand and cuffed his other hand around it and looked into my eyes and said "Thank You". I never thought those two words would change my life.

When Gene passed away my heart was broken and I must say it still is. Everyone I visit I form some kind of bond with them. One thing I miss the most about Gene was the way his face lit up when ever he smiled.

One night I was thinking about what I wanted to do for the folks in the nursing home for the holidays. Many of the folks there are forgotten about and have no one to visit them. I wanted to do something that let them know there are still people out there who care about them. Even if they are strangers.

Ken and his bear Sr. Samuel. 

As I was thinking about this I thought of Gene and how he would hold my hand and look into my eyes and say "Thank You". He knew there were other people out there who cared about him. So I started the first Teddy Bear Project in Honor of Gene. We did our first collection for the folks in the nursing home and expanded it to the Children in the Hospital.

As of today I have collected over 2,000 teddy bears and stuffed animals for the kids in the Hospital and folks in the nursing home. It's all thanks to everyone for helping me and Gene for inspiring me. God Bless you Gene. I miss you very much.

 Maria

Westcoast Dogs

Hey everyone my friends over at West Cost Dogs did a small interview with us check it out by Clicking Here

Teddy Bear Project - December 2011

With Christmas fast approaching I thought I would put together a little something about the Teddy Bear Project. December 20th will be a year since we started the Teddy Bear Project. Since it will be a year I want to do something else along with Collecting bears.

There is a hospital in Colorado Springs called the Memorial Hospital For Children. They see thousands of kids a year. Now a lot of these kids are scared when the first walk through the hospital doors. They are in an unfamiliar place. Back in May the Memorial Hospital for Children had sent out a Blanket SOS . They ran out of comfort blankets for the kids.   Blankets help brighten the patients rooms. But most importantly, the provide comfort in a big, strange and - despite the doctors best efforts - sometimes a painful place.

Preferred Materials

• Polar fleece
• Flannel
• Cotton

 Materials That Can’t Be Used

• Polyester materials
• Crocheted and knitted blankets

 Preferred Sizes

• 4 ‘ x 8’ for older kids
• Traditional baby blanket size for babies
• Nothing larger or smaller than sizes listed above works for most kids

 Suggestions for Girls

• Cartoon and Disney characters
• Bright colors
• Cute patterns with dogs, ponies, dolls, princesses, toys, flowers, etc.

 Suggested Prints for Boys

• Cartoon and Disney characters
• Fun patterns with trucks, dogs, dinosaurs, toys, sports team logos, sports themes like football, baseball, soccer, etc.

 Suggested Prints for Tweens and Teens

• Bright, solid colors
• Bright colored prints – stripes, paisley, plaid, polka-dots, tie-dye
• Patterns with sports team logos, or sports themes

I will also Still be collecting Teddy Bears/Stuffed Animal. They NEED to be gently used or Brand New. They can be any size. 

Kids and the Elderly love really soft animals as they can rub it against their faces. Pillow Pets are big hit. If you send A Pillow Pet those MUST   be new.  

They May be sent to:

Stacey Mae Mandel

171 Stream Drive

Guffey Colorado

80820 



Also my friend SurfDog Ricochet made it possible to donate via Pay Pal if it is easier. We will use the donations to buy more Stuffed Animals and Blankets. To donate via Pay Pal Click Here

If you have any questions or concerns you can email me at: eaglehill2009@gmail.com 

All of them will find a new home and someone to love them. Some of them will even be saved to be sent in a care package to kids around the U.S who are fighting cancer or other illnesses.

I really want to thank EVERYONE who has helped me out in the last year. It has been amazing to see how everything has fallen into place. I never imagined that I would collect 2,000+ In less then a year. 

Thanks, Maria & Stacey Mae 

http://www.facebook.com/StaceyMaeTBP

A Big Thank You!

I would like to thank my friends & family and people all over the world for helping me so much over the last 10 months. It is so hard to believe that almost a year I started the Teddy Bear Project in honor of Gene who passed away at the age of 99. So much has happened, I don't even know where to start.

In September of 2011 we collected our 2,000 teddy bear and stuffed animal. I never thought I would collect so much in a short time and now I plan on working on getting a non-profit status.

Anyways the biggest thing that has happened was going to L.A and getting an award for Stacey Mae because she won the Therapy dog of the year in the Hero Dog Awards.

On October 1st, 2011 the Hero Dog Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton. Lots of people and celebrities were there. We had such a great time meeting so many wonderful people. Especially Pauley Perrette who plays Abby in NCIS. She presented the award to us.

The Hero Dog Awards will be on the Halmark Channel on November 11th 2011.

This will be something that I never forget and I owe it to everyone for helping me get this far. I am looking forward to seeing what the upcoming year has to bring as far as it goes with my project and such.

Stacey Mae's Award 

Poor Stacey Mae

We have been having a good time meeting new people and other dogs. Unfortunately there are 2 dogs here at the hotel that want to attack Stacey. She also got bit in the face by a little dog but she is fine.

A day on Rodeo Drive

I had a wonderful day with stacey and our friends walking around on Rodeo drive. Everyone that was there was so nice and friendly. Everyone seamed to love dogs and let them in their stores. There is so much more to say but i am just to tired to write. I will add some photos tomorrow.