Nearly 8,000 stuffed animals collected through Project Teddy Bear

r By Nate MathisrUtah County high school students played a big role in the success of Project Teddy Bear during the holiday season. The 17th annual Project Teddy Bear resulted in the accumulation of 7,918 teddy bears and other stuffed animals. These stuffed animals were presented to three family support centers in Utah during a presentation at Bank of American Fork’s headquarters last month.

At the presentation ceremony, Richard Beard, president and CEO of Bank of American Fork, expressed his gratitude and recognized these high schools, clubs and students for their hard work.

Bingham High School collected 125 stuffed animals thanks in part to student body president Tyler, who invited students to bring a stuffed animal for entrance into the annual talent show instead of the typical monetary entrance fee.

American Fork High School Marching Band students, parents and faculty donated time to put together boxes, pack up all the stuffed animals and sort the boxes to prepare for delivery to the support centers.

The Spanish Fork High School Letterman’s Club collected nearly 2,000 stuffed animals this year. The Letterman’s Club has participated in Project Teddy Bear for 11 years, collecting more than 15,000 stuffed animals to date. This year they involved Canyon Elementary School.

Spanish Fork teen Kameron Snarr gathered hundreds of teddy bear donations from Bank of American Fork to take with him on his humanitarian trip to Costa Rica.

Following the presentation ceremony, the bears were transported and delivered to the centers thanks to a generous donation of equipment and labor by Bailey’s Moving and Storage.