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T here is a bull market for bears in Northern California. These warm and fuzzy creatures--which their creator, Lynne William of San Jose, can't collect and refurbish fast enough--are assorted teddy bears. She and a friend, Marlene Scaglione, buy them from the Goodwill, Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul's, and other thrift shops. Lynne then cleans, repairs, and decorates them to sell--a most unique way to raise needed funds for the Klaas Foundation for Children.
"It's a fun thing to do," Lynne says, surrounded by Teddy Bears in her home. "I only charge five dollars apiece for them. I donate half to the Klaas Foundation for Children. I use the other half to buy more thrift shop bears to fix up for sale. Some thrift shops like the idea so much they give me a discount."
All "Teddy Bears for Polly" are lovingly restored with variously colored fabric hearts sewn onto their chests. Purple ribbons adorn furry necks. Little pink folders bearing a portrait of Polly drawn by her Aunt Elizabeth Klaas are tied to their arms. Inside, the folders read:
"A bear for Polly--
For children
Everywhere...
Please show you care.
Please remember
Polly
When you see this
Teddy Bear"
Lynne began preparing and selling Bears for Polly in October 1996. By Thanksgiving weekend she reported, "I've already sold more than 250 Teddy Bears for Polly. I've been able to send $600 toward the good works of the Foundation and buy a lot more Teddy Bears to fix up. Many of them were donated to the thrift shops by families with little boys who didn't wear them out like little girls do."
Thirty-five Bears for Polly were purchased by employees of Hewlett-Packard, she reported as she prepared more bears for display at YMCA "Juice Tastings" in San Jose and Palo Alto. "Everyone wants them. I can't seem to make them fast enough," she says with a smile, as she stitched more big hearts onto little bears.
The Lazy Duck Boutique
Another Klaas Foundation donor with an unusual approach is an energetic nurse named Cheryl Foster. In 1981, Cheryl took an art class as a way to wind down from the stress of dealing with terminally ill children. Persuaded to market her crafts, she sold her modest inventory off a table in her living room. "We twisted all of our neighbors' and friends' arms and made $700." Within two and a half years, Cheryl had 14 vendors selling Christmas and Easter wares out of her San Jose, California home. Thus was born the Lazy Duck Boutique.
 In 1983, Cheryl's granddaughter Dana was born with cystic fibrosis and given little chance to survive to the age of ten. Nine separate doctors confirmed the diagnosis. Cheryl then combined her marketing, artistic, and health professional skills as a vehicle to raise money for cystic fibrosis research. She contracted with her vendors to donate a percentage of profits to Ronald McDonald House. Twice a year Cheryl turns her home into a retail outlet where a cadre of dedicated volunteers raise money to help terminally ill, abused, and abducted children.
Six years ago Cheryl was on the verge of taking her granddaughter to Lourdes, France for the healing waters. "You cannot go now," a nun at St. Lucias said. "The water is frozen." However, six months later a nun returned from Lourdes with some holy water for little Dana. One month later Dana tested negative for cystic fibrosis and she remains healthy to this day. Cheryl says that, "I believe in miracles. Like the nun, I can be a vessel through which many can work together to make the world a better place."
In August, Cheryl contacted the Klaas Foundation for Children and offered the philanthropic services of the Lazy Duck Boutique. In December, she sent a generous donation, fulfilling her promise to help make the world a better place.
Meter Sleuths Seek Missing Kids, Spring 1997, Vol.3, No.2
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