ZZZ Bears

The first thing people assume after coming to the site is ZZZ Bears is a large business with dozens or even hundreds of employees. It's not. It's really just me. 

It started as way to help my own daughter overcome her nighttime fears and it grew into a business - with manufacturers, retailers and customers. Lots and lots of wonderful customers!  And of course, that's the best part. The emails we receive with photos of kids (and adults!) snuggling with their bears keeps me going. The fact that we're helping bring comfort to so many people  is more powerful than any Army.

 

In the seven years I spent working with the Marines, I rode in Ospreys, fired M16s, traveled the country with the Silent Drill Platoon, watched new recruits step on the yellow footprints at Parris Island, presented to Commandants at the Pentagon and more. But perhaps the thing that had the most lasting impact on me were the families. 

I guess I had never realized that when someone serves, so too does their family. So when I started ZZZ Bears, I knew I wanted to give back to this underserved and underappreciated group of warriors - the families of those who serve. 

Today, we partner with a wonderful organization called TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) to donate bears to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.