Bear and A Prayer
InCommons Collaboration Challenge
Bear and A Prayer
This program began in 1999 as a way to address the need to help children during a time of crisis by letting them know there are people who do love and care about them. This initially began by providing a soft cuddly teddy bear to our local law enforcement and emergency services departments. The bears where given to children who were encountered during the course of their duties who may have been in need, or under stress.
About You
About You
First Name
Mary Kay
Last Name
Bumblis
Country
United States, MN, Dakota County
About Your Organization
Organization
Bear and a Prayer Workshops program
Organization Website
Organization Phone
651-681-0219
Organization Address
4180 Lexington Ave , Eagan Mn 55123
Organization Country
United States, MN
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Your Story
Collaboration Title
Bear and A Prayer
Country your work focuses on
United States, MN, Dakota County
Describe your locally-based collaboration and the problem it sought to address
This program began in 1999 as a way to address the need to help children during a time of crisis by letting them know there are people who do love and care about them. This initially began by providing a soft cuddly teddy bear to our local law enforcement and emergency services departments. The bears where given to children who were encountered during the course of their duties who may have been in need, or under stress.
Tell us about the community in which this collaboration took place
Today this has grown to now produce bears during a workshop(assembly line) that is staffed completely by volunteers from business organization who take a few hours to produce the bears which are then donated to local and distant social service agencies that work with children during a time of crisis. (Examples: crisis nursery, 'safe' houses, programs for displaced families)
Issue Selector
n/a
Partnership
Who was involved in co-creating or implementing your collaboration (other organizations, leaders, community members, etc.)?
Saints Martha and Mary Episcopal Church, Episcopal Community Services, United Way of the Twin Cities helped with our start up. The various social agencies that request the bears and ensure their deliver to the children at the appropriate time. We can provide a list upon request.
To what extent does your collaboration involve partnerships that are outside or cross traditional organizational or sector boundaries?
The workshop is requested by a business organization, such as Target Corp, Best Buy, 3M Corporation, Maslon Law Firm. The labor is provided in the workshop for 3 hours and produces approx 30-40 bears. The business also pays for the workshop. The bears are donated as explained earlier and funds received allow the program to continue and as contributions to the agencies.
Innovation
What makes your locally-based collaboration innovative and unique?
Since inception it has created and donated more than 2000 bears. Each going to a child who at the time experienced some type of crisis or distressing situation. This program allows persons, who cannot participate in aiding the child directly at that point in time, to know they have helped in some way by providing the bear and a modest monetary donation. We are a connection between that person, the social agency, and the child in need.
Did you take risks in establishing this collaboration? Explain
The only risk I can identify is the risk of not connecting with the business organization interested in hosting a workshop -without the support the program could not continue.
How did this collaboration differ from the normal way of doing your work?
Normally, a service such as this would only rely on its own church members to create and donate the teddy bears. We sought to have persons not associated with any denomination assist with the effort to provide comfort to the children. To raise recognition of the children's need in our own backyard who are in dangerous, risky situations.
Impact
How do you know your collaboration has been effective?
We have more requests to hold workshops than we present can conduct.
We have more requests from agencies for the bears than we can presently fulfill.
What progress or impact has been made?
The workshops have progressed from being a lone person operation to including 20-30 people per workshop,with the goal of 2 workshops per month run entirely by volunteers. The workshop has grown from having no location, equipment or supplies to now having 6 sewing machines, and a very modest storage closet type area for fabric and a supplies.
Next Steps
How would you go about continuing, expanding, or replicating this collaboration?
We would like to move the workshop to a house that is 2 doors away from the present location and add at least a part time coordinator paid position.
This would allow for dedicated support of organizing the workshop dates and volunteer leader recruitment. We would like to offer replication of this bear program to any other non profit that may like to help meet the need/demand for this workshop program. That is providing the training and guidance in establishing other groups that would be able to produce the bears for donation.
Describe the current stage of implementation and desired next steps
Reviewing the list of other groups that are interested in having a bear program.
Prepare the identified house for occupancy by the bear workshop program.
Review the job description and requirements of a part time coordinator.
Work with United Way and Epsicopal Services regarding expanding the program.
Seek input with those corporations that have support this program thus far.
| 133 weeks ago Mary Kay Bumblis updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 133 weeks ago Mary Kay Bumblis updated this Competition Entry. | |
| 133 weeks ago Mary Kay Bumblis submitted this idea. |
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