Bears for the Kids
The Cleft Palate Foundation’s Teddy Bears Bring Comfort to Children with Cleft Lip and Palate
Since January of 2001, over 4,000 custom-made GUND teddy bears have brought smiles to the faces of children as part of the Cleft Palate Foundation’s Bears for the Kids project. The project aims to help children cope with the questions and anxiety they experience from having facial differences such as cleft lip and palate. Each bear has been custom-made with “stitches” across its upper lip and a tag attached to the ear with the Foundation’s toll-free number where families can call for information about cleft lip and palate.
The collaborative project included in-kind and financial contributions from the GUND Corporation, and design and development by the Cleft Palate Foundation. To order the bears for your own special person, download this form (MS Word Version), (PDF Version), fill it out, and mail or fax it to the Cleft Palate Foundation at (919) 933-9604 or 1504 East Franklin Street, Suite 102, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
Bears from the Cleft Palate Foundation
“provide unique emotional support.”
The project was conceived by Karen LeClair of Chapel Hill. In 1989 Karen, an adult affected by cleft lip and palate, attended a meeting addressing the concerns of affected patients and families. It was there that she saw a doll with sewn “stitches” across its upper lip and felt that the doll would have helped her cope with her facial difference as a child. CPF Executive Director Nancy Smythe said, “Karen started collecting donated bears soon afterwards and personally hand-sewed the “stitches” on over 300 bears. Her dedication, hard work and positive project evaluations led to CPF’s interest in obtaining funds to implement the project on a much larger scale.” As a result of Karen’s early efforts, project coordinators received substantial positive feedback from the children and families who received the original bears that Karen hand-sewn.
The feedback from parents has illustrated that the bears provide unique emotional support for the child and help them express and understand the feelings they have about themselves and the treatment process. Carmen, age 6, was born with cleft lip and palate and received one of Karen’s original bears. According to his parents, “Even though it’s a stuffed toy, Carmen relates to it and feels he’s not the only one with a cleft. It builds his self-esteem and he has even shown it to teachers and relatives.” Likewise, the parents of Barry, age 7, state, “The bear gives us an opportunity to explore Barry’s feelings about the bear’s appearance and condition and then monitor our son’s feelings about himself. Anything that can enhance a positive self image for children with clefts is invaluable.”“I am delighted to see my dream become a reality,” says Karen. “My family, friends and the Cleft Palate Foundation have all supported me for more than 10 years. And now, through the generosity of GUND, we have been able to make a quantum leap in bringing happy faces to thousands of children” Cleft lip and palate comprise the most common birth defect in the United States. One out of every 600 newborns is affected, with approximately 6,800 newborns a year born with cleft lip and palate across America. Children oftentimes require numerous surgeries, follow-up treatment, and therapies from infancy to childhood. The Cleft Palate Foundation operates a toll-free hotline for patients and families providing information and referrals to cleft palate and craniofacial teams around the world.
For more information, contact the Cleft Palate Foundation at 1-800-24-CLEFT.