Strudents make 200 bears for Children's Hospital

Pews filled with students holding up bears for Children's Hospital A closeup view to show students showing off the bears

Akron Children’s Hospital received 200 small stuffed bears made by students at St. Paul School.

Students carry out boxes of bears

Making the bears was a huge project which was part of Catholic Schools Week and involved all the classes from kindergarten through 8th grade. Students traced the patterns, cut them out, stuffed them and sewed them.

See our earlier report showing students at work on the bears.

There were so many bears that students had to assemble in the church to have room to show them off for a photo.

The act of giving the bears was particularly meaningful for students who have been hospitalized. Akron Beacon Journal columnist Jewell Cardwell talked to several of them for a story which was the top item in her column on Wednesday. A photo from the blog was used to illustrate the article. See the column.

Eighth-grader Sydney Sloan, 14, said the exercise underscores the importance of ''giving back to the community.''

Sydney knows from personal experience what it's like to be in the hospital — even in a friendly place like Akron Children's Hospital. ''I was there a couple of days in December. I had back and stomach pain,'' she said.


''I feel good the patients will have these little bears to comfort them,'' she said.

[Click on the photos  to enlarge it for a better view]