Annual Festival of Trees Teddy Bear Drive Begins

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Nov. 8, 2019 - PRLog -- Efforts to collect 300 new unwrapped Teddy bears, which will be given to the children at the Golisano Children's Hospital during the holidays, has begun.  The bears will be delivered to the hospital and given out to the children during the holiday season.

New bears can be dropped off during regular store hours at the following Goodwill Retail and Donation Centers: Goodwill Boutique on First, Challenger Retail and Donation Center locations in Fort Myers, at Zak's Jewelery and North Cape Pine Island Road Goodwill in Cape Coral, and Heritage Bay store in Naples. People who live in Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers may also drop off a bear at their Community Center.

For the last 12 years, the "Very Beary" Christmas tree has been a community favorite. Each year, the bears adorn an artificial tree during Goodwill Annual Festival of Trees and then the tree gets delivered to the lobby of Golisano Children's Hospital where the bears are given out to children. This year the Festival of Trees will take place Dec. 6-8 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers.

"Festival attendees and bear donors can see the Very Beary tree at the Center before it gets delivered to the hospital lobby on Dec. 9, said Susan Hegarty, Public Relations Manager for Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida. "It's one of several decorated trees, most of which are raffled and delivered to the tree winners."

Festival of Trees is an annual fundraiser for the Southwest Florida Goodwill Foundation and is part of Goodwill's mission to provide life-changing opportunities toward independence for those with disabilities and disadvantages.

For more information about Festival of Trees or to collect bears for the tree, visit www.goodwilltrees.com or call (239) 652-1613. For more about Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, please visit www.goodwillswfl.org or call (239) 995-2106.