Heartbeat Bears History

 
How Kingwood Heartbeat Bears began:
 
During the 1990 August Hi Neighbor coffee (which is a great opportunity to get acquainted with “new” arrivals” in Kingwood and to make then feel welcome through various social activities and community projects, a “newly planted” Texan, Lorna-Dee Johnson was invited to join any of the various activity
groups or to start a new one if there were none which sparked her interest.
 
         Thus began.... Kingwood Heartbeat Bears.
 
 Lorna-Dee found ten other ladies who shared her interest in bears. The first meeting was an afternoon
high tea held in her home, which was followed by many other purely social meetings such as bear making, bear home tours, swimming parties, and shopping sprees.
 
After a year of having fun, the group decided to become a Den of Good Bears of the World International. GBW (as it is known) is a charitable, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing teddy bears to children of all ages who are hurt, sick, lonely or just need something to hug.
 
What has Kingwood Heartbeat Bears done:
 
§  1991-92 - provided over 2,000 bears to organizations such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, St James Nursing Home, and the Constables of Precinct IV.
§  1993-Present - concentrated their efforts on the local community, giving to Constables Precinct IV, Humble EMS, Humble Police, Texas Children’s Hospital (Cancer, Critical Care and Cardiac Care Center), Memorial Hermann Northeast (Emergency Room Outpatient Surgery  Center, OB/GYN Bereavement), Kingwood Medical Center, The Door (Battered Women’s Shelter),  FamilyTime Foundation, Elder Care Centers such as Focused Care, Blue Star Moms (support for families of U.S. troops), the USO at Bush Intercontinental Airport, and victims of local disasters.
§  To Date – as of July, 2022, more than 74,000 bears have been donated.
 
What is the goal of Kingwood Heartbeat Bears?
 
§  To provide at least 2,000 bears each year to the community organizations to distribute as needed.
§  The only source of income is from private donations and from various fund-raising projects.
 
Membership in Kingwood Heartbeat Bears is open to all members in good standing of Hi Neighbor Club-Kingwood. Our members are women who are willing to commit to working and playing well together in the dedication of “Gifting Teddy Bears to Traumatized Children and the Forgotten Elderly” in our community.