Birthday Bears for American Family Children's Hospital

For her 80th birthday Doris Stellmacher (pictured below) told her daughters she didn't need any presents.

"I said at age 80, there was nothing that I need," she says.

Instead, she wanted guests to her party to bring teddy bears for American Family Children's Hospital patients.

"My daughters picked up on the idea and told everyone in lieu of gifts I'd like a teddy bear to be donated to the Children's Hospital. I thought maybe I'd get six or seven bears," Doris says. "I ended up with 72 bears, a few dogs, an elephant and a Holstein cow."

A 34-year survivor of breast cancer, Doris began with hopes of giving a bear to patients in the pediatric cancer section. Thanks to the generosity of her and her birthday guests, every child in the entire Children's Hospital received a bear.

"It was more than I ever expected," she says, "and a delightful thing for me to think that those children all got a bear."

In addition to its fundraising efforts, American Family Children's Hospital welcomes in-kind, kid-friendly donations, including CDs, DVDs, handheld video game systems, arts and crafts supplies, and much more. For a complete list, please go to the Child Life Wish List.