Atlantic Shores volunteers have created over 200 teddy bears for children at CHKD
Every Thursday at 10 a.m., a special group gathers at Atlantic Shores Retirement Community to bring comfort to children facing medical challenges at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD).
Armed with colorful fabrics, embroidery needles, and boxes of stuffing, these dedicated volunteers transform simple materials into handmade teddy bears that provide a little bit of comfort to young patients during challenging times.
"After we stuff these bears, they’ll go to CHKD," explains Anne Morgan, who joined in 2006. Her dining room currently holds approximately 200 completed bears — six months of weekly efforts.
The devoted team includes Barbara Gorman, Mary Ohnemus, Anne Morgan, Dot Jordan, and Lila Davis, who serves as the group's leader and fabric selector. A few members have backgrounds in the medical field, bringing both expertise and empathy to their volunteer work.
"When you're working in laboratory technology, as I did, you're behind the scenes," one volunteer notes. "This gives us a chance to help more directly."
A Labor of Love — and Personal Investment
These retirees fund the entire operation themselves. A single box of stuffing costs about $30, and fabric runs from $4 to $5 per bolt. They gladly shoulder these expenses to ensure a steady supply of comfort to young patients.
The bears are works of craftsmanship, each with its own personality. Some feature embroidered faces with filled-in noses (Dot Jordan's signature), while others have outlined features (Anne Morgan's style). Fabrics range from playful patterns with guinea pigs and snowmen to carefully selected gender-specific designs.
"See, this one's got a filled-in nose, and this one has not," Barbara points out. "They each have idiosyncrasies. They all have little quirks, like people."
The group's charitable mission predates current members. When Lila Davis arrived in 1999, the group was already functioning, initially knitting tiny caps for premature babies before pivoting to teddy bears when hospital sterilization requirements changed.
Producing eight to ten bears each weekly one-hour session, members have found their niches — some cut patterns, others sew, everyone stuffs, and a select few handle the intricate embroidery that gives each bear its face.
These faithful women, their tables piled high with colorful bears, remind us that love and compassion have no retirement age. For the children at CHKD, each stitch represents care from women who understand that healing involves more than medicine — sometimes it just takes a soft, handmade friend to hold onto.
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