Dickinson's CountryHouse is celebrating Teddy Bear Day on Saturday, Oct. 27, by initiating a teddy bear drive.
"We are asking the community to help put a smile on a child's face. As a community we can do this by donating as many new teddy bears as possible," said CountryHouse Activity Director Lysette Prez.
She said the teddy bears are being donated to organizations for distribution locally and around the world. CountryHouse will have a drop box at the entrance of the building.
"We're trying to get as many new teddy bears as possible," said Prez.
Teddy Bear Day is held in honor President Theodore Roosevelt.
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The name "Teddy Bear" comes from one of President Theodore Roosevelt's hunting trips to Mississippi. When the hounds treed an American black bear, friends suggested Roosevelt shoot it. He refused, deeming this was un-sportsmanlike. A 1902 Washington Post political cartoon spawned the teddy bear name. Brooklyn store owner Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and was inspired to create a stuffed bear cub with a sign in the shop window, "Teddy's bear." The toys were an immediate success.
The last day of the drive is Sunday, Nov. 4, which is Country House's fourth annual open house.
The open house features a breakfast from 9 a.m to noon, along with a bake sale and silent auction. The staff, residents and family members of the residents are donating the baked goods.
The money raised during the open house is going toward sponsoring an Alzheimer's walk in Dickinson in the fall of 2008.
Country House provides assisted living care to residents with memory loss disorders.
"We want the community to know that CountryHouse is more than a facility for people with Alzheimer's and memory loss. We're really a family," she said.
For any questions, call CountryHouse at 483-2266.
