The Student Alumni Association is proud to announce a record- breaking year for our Bears that Care stuffed animal drive! This initiative, which ran between November 10 and November 21, collects donations of new stuffed bears and other furry friends to be given to local children in need during the holiday season.

This year, we received donations from a number of student organizations and members of the campus community, with many flooding in on the last day of the drive. Alpha Phi Omega led the way by contributing 28 bears – the most of any RSO on campus. Alumni and friends of the SAA also donated a total of $251 online, which helped us buy more bears. In the end, we exceeded our goals and were able to donate 175 stuffed animals!

After tallying up the donations, the bears were prepared for delivery in festively wrapped holiday gift boxes and students delivered the bears during finals week. This year, our recipients included: the Amherst Survival Center, Safe Passage, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Grace House, Shriners Hospital, and Gray House. The recipients were extremely grateful!

Bears That Care would not have seen such success if not for the efforts of SAA Cabinet Member Maddy Monahan ’17 (Engagement Chair), who worked tirelessly coordinating the drive from start to finish. We are extremely grateful to all of our members and donors for their help in making the holidays brighter for those in need.