Cindy Ross, of RP&G Printing in Wesley Chapel, knows the importance of every child experiencing the joy of the holiday spirit.
For the last six years (2016 to 2022), Ross has been hosting a Build-A-Bear fundraiser — donating all the stuffed animals to the ABC Program to be distributed to local underprivileged students.
Guests were invited to visit the Build-A-Bear store at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel, choose an animal, have it stuffed, pick an outfit and even give it a name. The store’s staff then printed out a ‘birth certificate’ for the child recipient. Monetary donations also were collected, which were put toward building more bears.
The total haul this year for the ABC Program was 161 stuffed animals, said Ross.
