My Bear Jeff's Specially Designed Teddy Bears To Make Appearance at Nordstrom in Overland Park

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dec. 6, 2021 - PRLog -- Dozens of specially designed My Bear Jeff teddy bears will be on display and for sale to help local kids in trauma from 10am to 2pm, Saturday, December 11, 2021 at Nordstrom at the Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS.

The pack of bears will congregate on Nordstrom's first floor by the makeup department. Each bear is specially designed with a red heart on their chest and a name tag for children to name their own bear. For each bear purchased two will be provided to a local organization to help a child in need.

"The demand is so great for children to have something special to hold on to during a difficult time in their lives, and the need continues to grow," said Rachel Cohen, My Bear Jeff's Chief Bear Officer. "Nordstrom has been a great partner helping My Bear Jeff provide bears to several organizations and hundreds of kids in the Kansas City area. We invite everyone to come by and say hello to some 'beary' good friends on December 11."

Cohen stressed one of her local nonprofit partners, Children's Mercy in Kansas City, is doing an inspiring job of making creative use of the bears and can use many more.

"Children's Mercy uses them on their helicopter, ambulances and fix wing plane to calm young patients especially when they are without their parents or a caregiver. Also for children to have a friend during surgeries and for CT scans to help the patient hold and lay still. Some bears even have their own patient bracelet to help a child understand any upcoming procedure."

My Bear Jeff is the outgrowth of Cohen's own trauma she faced at age four. Born with a heart defect, she went through a rare procedure and it appeared her life expectancy was going to be short.

The night before her surgery her family even took family photos of her because they did not know if she was going to live through the experience or face long-term issues.

Cohen, now 30, says what helped get her through it, and inspired her life, were her teddy bears.  "It energized me to start this organization. Even though I did not know much about toys, stuffed animals, or manufacturing, I was able to find great partners to help me with the process. The response has been simply tremendous."

Customers have different options of purchasing one bear and donating it directly to children to a pre-determined child's related charity.

In less than two years since its founding My Bear Jeff has helped orchestrate the giving of over 1,000 bears to area children and others nationwide. For additional information visit https://mybearjeff.com