"Bears in the Air" program at South Bend International Airport
Posted: Dec 2, 2014 10:12 PM EST | Updated: Dec 2, 2014 10:19 PM EST
Community leaders donated the first three bears of the holiday season.
Last year, nearly 750 bears were collected and given to children at local hospitals.
“Every child I have ever known and we've ever talked to likes teddy bears. Something soft, something cuddly, something to hold, a companion maybe. And so we hit upon teddy bears. And I was working at the airport and so it became ‘Bears in the Air,'” says Executive Director Mike Diagle.
If you would like to donate a newly purchased teddy bear, donations can be brought to the “bear den” inside the South Bend International Airport.
The drive begins Friday and runs through December 22.