ST. LOUIS, Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of
extraordinary children have come through the doors of Build-A-Bear
Workshop® stores over the years, and today, the Company
honors 10 incredible children as its 2014 Huggable Heroes – a
long-running Build-A-Bear Workshop initiative that recognizes and
rewards charitable-minded youths who are making the world a better
place.
"When you take a moment and absorb the selflessness, generosity,
energy and compassion of our Huggable Heroes, one can't help but
feel optimistic about the younger generation and what they will
build well into the future," said Sharon
John, Build-A-Bear Workshop chief executive officer.
"It is truly inspiring to see what these 10 boys and girls
have contributed to society at such a young age. Build-A-Bear is
very proud to be associated with such warm, caring and accomplished
individuals."
Build-A-Bear Workshop is awarding each of the Huggable Heroes a
$5,000 scholarship and a $2,500 donation to a charity of his or her
choice. Since its inception in 2004, Build-A-Bear Workshop has
invested more than $1 million in
recognizing and honoring the heroic efforts of more than 100
"Huggable Heroes" in the United
States, Canada and the
U.K.
"Huggable Heroes is a rewarding program in every sense of the
word," said Gina Collins,
Build-A-Bear Workshop chief marketing officer. "Our 2014 Huggable
Heroes have given so much of themselves, and it seems only fitting
for Build-A-Bear to award each of the winners scholarships which
will benefit their future education, while still giving each of
them the opportunity to once again help their very worthy
cause."
The 2014 Huggable Heroes contest was open to children ages eight
to 18 in the United States,
Canada, and the United Kingdom. Build-A-Bear Workshop received
more than 500 nominations, which were narrowed down to 48 finalists
in July. An independent judging organization oversaw the
selection of the 10 Huggable Heroes.
Since 2004, more than 12,000 kids have been nominated for the
Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes program. The 100-plus winners
through the years have collectively raised more than $10.3 million and gathered 300 million items for
their causes.
The Build-A-Bear Huggable Heroes "Class of 2014" is being
honored for making an incredible impact through fundraising,
volunteerism, granting wishes and lifting the hearts and spirits of
the less fortunate in our society. From supporting children who are
battling cancer to providing relief and appreciation to military
veterans, to raising funds and awareness for issues faced by
teenage girls around the world, this group of amazing young
people has raised more than $800,000
in support of a variety of unique causes.
"Build-A-Bear is once again so pleased to be recognizing and
honoring young social engineers who have proven – year in and year
out – that energy and heartfelt determination can go a long way in
bettering the lives of others," Collins said. "The 10 winners are
all very worthy of their newest and hard-earned accolade – 2014
Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes."
2014 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes
Zachary Abel, 14, Sewickley, PA
Zachary is a former
Make-A-Wish recipient who created Make A Move for Make-A-Wish – a
bike, walk and run event to support wish kids in his community. Now
cancer free, Zack organized the Make-A-Wish fundraiser to give back
to the organization that granted his wish for a T-Rex Dinosaur
statue for his backyard when he was ill. To date, Zack has raised
more than $65,000 for Make-A-Wish and
helped grant 16 wishes for children battling cancer.
Michael Bervell, 16,
Snohomish, WA
Michael
started an organization called Hugs for Ghana to mobilize students in his community
through volunteering, fundraising, and collecting in-kind
donations. In 2013 and 2014, he organized two Ghanaian culture
night fundraisers in his community and collected more than
$12,000. Additionally, Michael
partners with a range of organizations and dozens of schools to
organize donation drives that have garnered more than $20,000 worth of sports gear and collected nearly
4,000 books, all to benefit Ghanaian youth.
Daniella Cohen, 16,
Highland Park, IL
Daniella
founded GIVE, a letter writing exchange, to promote cultural
understanding and education. GIVE pen pals learn to empathize and
interact with a different culture that they otherwise would not
have been exposed to. GIVE has sent thousands of letters and
flip-flops, signed with messages of hope, to schools in
India, Uganda, Rwanda, Israel and Iraq. Daniella has also spearheaded an effort
to provide Internet service and laptops to students in Uganda.
Sarah Gordon, 16, Portland, OR
Sarah's passion for
learning led her to motivate adolescent girls in her community to
come together to raise funds and awareness for teenage girls around
the world. Sarah brought the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up
campaign to Oregon. Girl Up gives American girls the
opportunity to support UN programs that help some of the world's
hardest-to-reach adolescent girls through education and
inspiration. Thanks to Sarah, there are more than 200 students
volunteering for the six different chapters of Girl Up in
Oregon.
Izzi Hickmott, 16,
Brighton, UK
Diagnosed
with Type I diabetes at age 10, Izzi became eager to share her
experiences to help others. In addition to supporting the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) through fundraising, Izzi has
supported other young people with Type 1 diabetes by becoming an
advocate in the Houses of Parliament. Additionally, Izzi has
collaborated with local Council officials and representatives from
the National Health Service to put in place relevant and proper
support for young people with T1 diabetes in schools.
Kylie Kuhns, 17, Mifflinburg, PA
After losing her sister
to leukemia in 2005, Kylie wanted to help other children and
families diagnosed with cancer. She founded Kelsey's Dream, and
recently developed and introduced Hopper the Cancer Crusher, a
fluffy green frog play therapy toy for children undergoing cancer
treatment. To date, the play therapy toy has been delivered to 24
hospitals throughout the nation, with a goal of distributing Hopper
the Cancer Crusher to all pediatric oncology hospitals across the
U.S. Kelsey's Dream has mobilized 400 volunteers, raised
approximately $265,000, and produced
8,000 therapy play toys to date.
Rachel Ley, 17, Stevens Point, WI
Rachel started
Literacy for Little Ones, an early literacy program that encourages
parents to read to their infants and provides book packages to
newborns' families. What began at Rachel's local community hospital
in 2009 has expanded to four additional hospitals in Wisconsin, one hospital in Minnesota, and one hospital in Nicaragua, impacting approximately 520 infants
per month. Thus far, Literacy for Little Ones has distributed
book packages to 7,400 families, and has over 700 volunteers.
Brodie Meredith, 13,
Walsall, UK
Brodie and
family launched Livvy's Smile, a charitable endeavor in memory of
Brodie's sister Livvy. Livvy's Smile's mission is to create memory
making days for children with disabilities, together with their
families. Brodie does many things to help Livvy's Smile including
coordinating events and sending mailings. In addition to her own
time and effort, Brodie inspires friends to fundraise and
challenges them to support children with disabilities.
Casey Sokolovic, 16,
Winterville, NC
Casey
inspires at-risk students to get involved, raise awareness and
learn the plight of the world's sea turtle population through
STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
environmental camps. She also hosts a year-round community calendar
of learning and service activities. Over the last three summers,
the camps have provided 340 at-risk youth opportunities to
participate in STEM-focused, nature activities. In total, Casey's
efforts have raised more than $350,000 to help fund these camps and calendar of
activities.
Alexis Werner, 18,
Pittsburgh, PA
Alexis
created an organization called Seeds of Hope, which provides relief
for veterans and their families affected by Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. Through Seeds of Hope
Alexis has planted 15 self-sustaining gardens nationwide, to
provide veterans and their families access to fresh and healthy
produce. She has also created a children's book about veteran
appreciation, and a documentary that describes the psychological
effects of war.
For more information, please
visit buildabear.com/huggableheroes.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Founded in
St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear
Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an
interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment
experience. There are approximately 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop
stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S.,
Puerto Rico, Canada, the United
Kingdom and Ireland, and
franchise stores in Europe,
Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle
East, and Mexico. The Company was named to the FORTUNE
100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the sixth year in a row in
2014. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue
of $379.1 million in fiscal
2013. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit
the Investor Relations section of its Web site at
buildabear.com®.
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Contacts:
Edwige
Buteau
RF|Binder
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SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.