Cubgratulations™ to the 2008 Build-A-Bear Workshop® Huggable Heroes® finalists!
Meet the outstanding young leaders who have advanced to the Finalist round of the 2008 Huggable Heroes® search. They are an elite group of 31 young people from around the world being honored by Build-A-Bear Workshop® for demonstrating strong leadership, dedication and compassion to make positive strides in the world.
Check back in June to see our new Huggable Heroes Winners.
2008 Huggable Heroes Finalists
Alyssa - New York
Alyssa is being recognized for her efforts to collect ponytails for Locks of Love. She organized a free hair cutting event and was able to encourage 80 people to donate their ponytails. Nearly 1,300 inches of hair were collected at this event. In addition, Alyssa herself has donated 4.5 feet of her own hair to Locks of Love.
Anna - Colorado
Anna is being recognized for founding Sight Angels, a non-profit organization that provides eye glasses to those in need. She has donated more than $165,000 worth of glasses and supplies to all five major continents. Through Sight Angels, Anna has been able to provide glasses to the homeless, migrant farm workers, victims of Hurricane Katrina, senior citizens, to children in Honduras and to people in Guineau Bissau, Africa.
Ashley - Illinois
Ashley is being recognized for raising funds for neurological diseases. Inspired by her father who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) in 2004, she has raised more than $15,000 between the Walk to D’Feet ALS and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Lock-Up.
Austin - Arizona
Austin is being recognized for starting “Hoops of Hope,” an annual free throw basketball marathon that raises awareness and funds for AIDS orphans in Africa. He has been able to inspire 6,000 people to participate in Hoops of Hope events in 37 states and four countries. Together, Austin and his supporters have raised $321,000, provided care for 100 orphans, built a school for 450 orphans, built a medical lab and counseling center and provided 1,000 care kits for AIDS caregivers.
Avery - Wisconsin
Avery is being recognized for his efforts to raise awareness and funds for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He designs and sells bracelets sporting the phrase “ADHD Rocks” that he sells with profits benefiting Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) and ADHD research. Avery has raised more then $1,100.
Aymeric - France
Aymeric decided to support the cause of Ingrid Betancourt and the 3,000 other hostages held by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia). Through his actions Aymeric also supports ‘Mama Yolanda’, the association created by Ingrid’s mother that is devoted to the health and education of 300 children living in the streets of Bogota.
Caroline - Illinois
Caroline is being recognized for raising funds for The Smile Train, a non-profit organization that provides low-cost, high-impact cleft repair surgery to children in need. She has set up collection cans, held a bake sale, two lemonade stands and convinced her father to run the Chicago Marathon to raise money through pledges. Through her efforts, Caroline has been able to raise more than $9,300, enough to repair 37 smiles.
Cassandra – British Columbia
Cassandra is being recognized for her fundraising efforts for the British Columbia Children’s Hospital. After hearing that a classmate was battling cancerous brain tumors, Cassandra decided she did not want birthday presents and encouraged her friends to bring a donation to her birthday party for the British Columbia Children’s Hospital. Cassandra is now committed to continuing this special bearthday tradition.
Ceris - Alberta
Ceris is being recognized for her fundraising initiatives to help build a well in Africa. Her efforts have inspired her school to join her cause and coordinate penny drives and fundraising activities. She is arranging additional activities in 2008 and has inspired friends and family members to help raise thousands of dollars to achieve her goal.
Christina – New York
Christina is being recognized for co-founding “Bring It On,” the first and only youth service non-profit organization in Northeast Bronx. The organization promotes youth leadership, community involvement through service learning projects and You Go Girl Go Empowerment Forums. Christina has personally volunteered more than 1,100 hours and has helped Bring It On raise more than $25,000 for charity while engaging 1000+ youths in the community to create change.
Dallas - Washington
Dallas is being recognized for raising awareness of teen abduction and date rape. She was able to gather $1,000,000 in cash and services to produce an instructional film that she distributes on her website or mails for free to girls who do not have internet access.
Emily – Bath
Emily decided to get involved with the Amigos charity after visiting an elderly friend who was selling cards in aid of the charity. Amigos raises money to develop a farm in Uganda training locals in sustainable agricultural skills. Emily makes handmade cards which she sells via the internet at her place of work and at her local church. Emily takes any opportunity in her busy life to raise awareness of the charity including hosting numerous cake sales, a church bazaar and most recently putting together children’s Easter activity packs that were sold to raise funds for this worthy cause. Emily has raised £3,000 so far and has organised a trip to the farm in Uganda this summer to see the work, spend some time helping with the project and to inspire her to continue her fundraising efforts.
Emma – Nova Scotia
Emma is being recognized for her countless efforts to raise funds and support for Breast Cancer Research. After hearing that one of her teachers was diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma participated in the CIBC – Run for the Cure. Since then, her pink ribbon sells and extensive fundraising initiatives have raised $10,000 to support her cause. Her goal is to raise $100,000 before graduating from high school.
Greyson - Conneticut
Greyson is being recognized for creating a free resource and internet portal, StudentVolunteerLINK.com (SVL). SVL is accessible to the public and connects student volunteers to community service opportunities posted by non-profit organizations, community organizations and student led initiatives. More than 100 organizations have listed their volunteer opportunities on the SVL website.
Jack – Oakville
Jack is being recognized for his fundraising efforts to support the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Suffering from severe epilepsy, Jack wanted to help his friends at the hospital get better, one cup at a time, and raised more than $14,000 for SickKids by running his own lemonade stand. He raised an additional $12,000 for children’s services at Epilepsy Toronto hosting “Jack’s Lemonade” stand at a local festival. He has inspired local schools to host lemonade stands for SickKids and hopes to raise $50,000 in 2008.
Jack – Suffolk
Jack’s passion for sports has made a huge impact on his local community. Living in a rural area of Suffolk, Jack identified the lack of activities for young children in his area to participate in. After working for the local council as a volunteer coaching sport, Jack decided to set up a weekly sports club for young people, aged 6 and upwards and he coaches a variety of sports, including basketball, football, volleyball and hockey. The children idolise him and his enthusiasm is paramount to making the club a success. The club is going from strength to strength and Jack is hoping to expand his club to run over the school holidays.
Kate - Texas
Kate is being recognized for starting Knitting with a Purpose, a project she began to knit hats for premature babies in the neonatal unit. She personally knitted 252 hats. In addition, Kate teaches other girls how to knit. The 42 girls she has taught have spent more than 1,765 hours knitting and together have knitted more than 1,080 hats and counting.
Katherine - Florida
Katherine is being recognized for her work with Save Our Cats and Kittens (SOCKS), a no-kill, free roaming cat shelter. She has been volunteering at the shelter since she was ten years old, cleaning litter boxes, sweeping hairballs and administering medicine. In addition, Katherine fosters kittens and sick cats and helps nurse them back to health. She has organized a supply drive at her school, helped improve the shelter’s website and increased awareness in the community on the need to spay and neuter.
Kirsty – Manchester
Brave Kirsty suffers with the genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis; a serious condition which causes tumours to develop on nerve endings. However, this has not stopped her from endeavouring to raise a huge amount of money to send other poorly children on the trip of a lifetime. After having a wish granted to visit Santa in Lapland when she was nine-years-old, she has focused on making this dream come true for 100 other children. Kirsty has raised a phenomenal £43,000 so far and she is well on her way to her £65,000 goal.
Léa – France
Léa decided to support the Oasis Center clinic in Abidjan in Ivory Coast after her parents adopted a little girl from the clinic. The clinic provides shelter and medical treatment to sick people without resources. Half of the patients are children, some of them orphans. Léa volunteers her time each month to appeal to the generosity of people around her and raise awareness of the sad reality of being ill, poor and orphan in Africa.
Malka – London
By organising fundraising events in her local community Malka single-handedly helped create a summer camp for children at her school. Along with sourcing camp leaders and counsellors Malka arranged for “Camp Jolly” to take place in Bournemouth for 6 days last summer. So successful was Malika’s idea, her school has been inspired to create an after-school club and she is already planning this year’s “Camp Jolly”!
Mandy - Florida
Mandy is being recognized for her work to help brighten the lives of children afflicted with cancer. She creates and distributes “distraction kits” for patients on special holidays throughout the year. So far, Mandy has collected enough books, toys and stuffed animals to fill more than 4,500 “distraction kits.”
Marni - California
Marni is being recognized for founding Kid Flicks, a program through which she collects new and used DVDs to donate to Children’s Hospitals and Pediatric Departments across the United States. To date, Marni has donated more than 29,100 movies to 291 children’s hospitals in all 50 states and South Africa.
Michala - Kentucky
Michala is being recognized for her efforts to raise awareness and funds for autism through a program she started called “Beading to Beat Autism”. She, along with an army of volunteers, makes and sells beaded bracelets. Michala has raised more then $200,000 for physicians at Kosair Children’s Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics.
Rocco - New Jersey
Rocco is being recognized for his efforts to raise funds and awareness for blindness. He has spoken to New Jersey State legislators convincing them to allocate $1.2 million to Braille education and services for blind children. In addition, Rocco serves as Ambassador for the Little Rock Foundation that provides resources to visually-impaired children and their parents, educators and therapists. He is also a celebrated jazz musician.
Stephanie - Washington
Stephanie is being recognized for her work to raise awareness and funds for lupus. She captains a team at the Seattle Lupus Walk and is the first child in the history of the walk to be a team captain. Stephanie was able to get hundreds of walkers including dozens of kids to join her team, which became the walk’s largest team and they raised more than $20,000. She not only completed the entire walk, but, was able to personally raise half the total for the entire Seattle area.
Tanner - Illinois
Tanner is being recognized for his efforts to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation. He published a children’s book called “Wishes A-Z,” which consisted of actual wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. From the sale of his books, Tanner so far has been able to raise more than $5,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois.
Taylor - Oregon
Taylor is being recognized for his efforts to help fight hunger. He organizes an annual “Read for the Need” book sale. The money raised goes to purchase food for the Florence Food Share. So far, Taylor has raised $29,000 which has gone to purchase more than 38,000 pounds of food.
Jasmine - California
Jasmine is being recognized for her efforts to raise funds for both domestic and international causes. She has been able to raise more then $200,000 for causes such as hurricane relief, Self Help for the Elderly and the Asian American Cancer Support Network. In addition, Jasmine helped open Hillsdale School’s Student Run Volunteer Center and the first annual Hillsdale Volunteer Fair, promoting volunteerism among her peers and classmates.
Justin - London
Justin is being recognized for his efforts to help the environment and world wildlife. He has orchestrated numerous school yard, park and shoreline cleanups and his many fundraising initiatives have symbolically adopted 6 animals and 3 habitats through World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He coordinated a Message of Peace school campaign and presented environmental messages on behalf of his classmates to Dr. Jane Goodall.
Tatiana - California
Tatiana is being recognized for organizing her Northern California community to donate more than 4,000 children’s books to start three libraries in Africa. These books serve nearly 1,000 students and ten villages and provide access to books where there had previously been none.
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