Va. hospice brings comfort with ‘memory bear’ program

Losing a loved one, there are often no words to describe this difficult time. Recognizing this, is a group of people on the Eastern Shore of Virginia who came up with a simple yet sentimental way of giving comfort.

With every stitch sewn and thread snipped, RuthAnn Baker is one step closer to completing a teddy bear.

"I just absolutely love making these bears," says Baker.

However, they are not your typical bears. They're meant for folks that are grieving the loss of a loved one.

"You get tears when people are receiving the bears," says Joanne Dean, the Volunteer Coordinator at Riverside Shore Hospice.

Dean brought this program to Riverside Shore Hospice after her friend's son died. She says a furry companion helped her friend cope after her loss.

"About a month later she came to our smocking group and she was holding a teddy bear and it was made out of her sons pants," says Dean.

The Memory Bear Program at the hospice in Onley personalizes handmade teddy bears using fabric that loved ones once wore.

"You know that that's a loved article of clothing when you are sitting it into the bear pattern," says Baker.

Over the past year Baker has made 120 teddy bears. Each one takes 3.5 hours to sew, but folks at hospice say making each and every one of them is worth it.

"It gives me great joy to make them and to know that people are going to get some sentimental value and comfort out of having a piece of them around," says Baker.

Baker tells us she also makes personalized pillows.  

Folks at Riverside Shore Hospice tell us they could use more volunteers to sew as well as assist with patients.

To learn more about volunteering contact Joanne Dean at (757) 789-5000 or joanne.dean@rivhs.com.