PORT BYRON, IL - PORT BYRON, IL - The Nick Teddy Foundation, of Port Byron, IL, has begun a teddy bear donation drive at studio, library, and YMCA locations in the Quad City area. Bears will be donated to pediatric patients at Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, IL, http://www.childrenshospitalofillinois.org and to grieving and traumatized children served by Rick's House of Hope in Davenport, IA. http://rhoh.org
New teddy bears, of all sizes and descriptions, in original packaging, can be dropped off at collection boxes at the following locations: Haven Studios, 105 South Chicago St, Suite 5, Geneseo; RIver Valley District Library, 214 S Main St, Port Byron; Cordova District Library, 402 Main Ave, Cordova; Bettendorf Family YMCA, 3800 Tanglefoot Lane, Bettendorf; and Two Rivers YMCA, 2040 53rd St, Moline. Collection ends September 1.
The Nick Teddy Foundation was established in 2012 in loving memory of Port Byron native Nick Strub, who died in November 2011 of complications of Ewing's sarcoma. This pediatric bone cancer currently affects children in the Quad City area.
Last year, the Foundation's 2012 "Nick Teddy Fight Against Ewing's Sarcoma 5k" registered more than 450 runners and raised over $17,000 to be used exclusively for Ewing's sarcoma research. The Teddy Bear Drive is an additional effort to provide support to hospitalized pediatric patients, and to area children dealing with the after-effects of cancer and other distressing family events.
