With the help of alumni and the community, students from the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ College of Nursing are looking to brighten up the holiday season for local hospitalized children in the form of a cuddly panda bear.

In its second and final year, the β€œGive Thanks, Give a Bear” fundraiser enables the public to sponsor one – or an entire unit – of limited-edition bears wearing ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ nursing scrubs to be delivered the week following Thanksgiving to sick kids at Central Florida-area hospitals.

Sponsoring a bear starts at $50.

“These cute little bears will make a major impact for the children they comfort and ultimately, for the community by supporting future nurses and innovative research.” Mary Lou Sole, dean of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ College of Nursing

All funds raised from the campaign help fund priority areas within the College of Nursing, including student scholarships, faculty research and medical mission trips. In 2017, the β€œGive a Bear, Warm a Heart” campaign distributed 225 bears to children during the week of Valentine’s Day and raised nearly $15,000.

β€œThis heartwarming effort is one of the many ways our students are touching lives and making a difference in the local Central Florida community,” says Mary Lou Sole, dean of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ College of Nursing. β€œIt is exciting to expand the program this year to more regional hospitals, reaching more communities where our Knight Nurses live and provide care. These cute little bears will make a major impact for the children they comfort and ultimately, for the community by supporting future nurses and innovative research.”

four ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ nursing students give a stuffed panda bear to a girl wearing a green gown in a hospital bed.
To sponsor a bear and for more information about the campaign, visit nursing.ucf.edu/bears

This year, the campaign will double its reach β€” from three to six hospitals β€” and extend beyond Orlando to Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties with visits scheduled for: Florida Hospital for Children, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Parrish Medical Center.

β€œSimilar to the bears, nurses provide compassion to patients when they face difficult times. It was a pleasure to help make a difference in a child’s life and bring a smile to their face,” says Allie Fox ’18, who delivered bears to children in 2017 and will participate again this year as an alumna and practicing nurse. β€œI feel privileged to partake in this wonderful fundraiser and hope it’s an even bigger success this year.”

To sponsor a bear and for more information about the campaign, visit nursing.ucf.edu/bears. Any questions can be directed to nursingevents@ucf.edu or by calling the college’s main line at 407-823-2744.