I have experienced many personal and professional relationships
during my investigation of Beanie Babies. One individual by the
name of Mr. Paul Beauvais, the owner of The Little Red Doll House
located at 141 Union Street Manchester, New Hampshire has inspired
me to write this article. Mr. Beauvais, his wife and their business,
have all been remarkable examples of how retailers should operate.
I applaud them for their efforts.
Mr. Beauvais has ordered copies of my book, The Beanie Invasion,
and we have had the opportunity to speak on a few occasions. The
last time we spoke, Mr. Beauvais was concerned how he would handle
the demand for Princess. I suggested having a raffle or auction
to show his generosity, and support local charities.
On January 8, 1998 I received a newspaper clipping for Mr.
Beauvais. The clipping was entitled "DRAWING FOR HOT 'BEANIE
BABY' TO BOOST TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE". Mr. Beauvais wrote a
personal note; the top of the article read as follows: "Thanks
for the great idea Janie - We had over 3 truck loads of toys and
a tremendous community reaction."
Portions of the article read as follows:
One of the hottest
Beanie Babies of the season, the Princess Bear dedicated to the
late Princess of Wales, will help boost the Toys for Tots program.
Customers who bring in a new unwrapped toy will be given a free
slip for the Princess Bear drawing. Additional toys will mean
additional chances to win a bear.
"All of us hear at The Little Red Doll House feel that
this is the best way to truly honor the memory of Princess Diana,"
Beauvais said.
THREE TRUCK LOAD OF TOYS (Wow)!
!!
WHAT A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT!
I'd like to share similar stories from other establishments
who have honored Diana in their own special way. These stories
are listed as received. They are all unique and special in their
own right. These retailers all should be accredited for their
work as well.
Elmtree at Potomac Mills Mall, Woodbridge, VA.
Manager - Mary
Mary contacted me and we discussed her charity regarding Princess.
Mary, decided that she would like to raffle 6 Princess at a $1.00
a chance. All of the proceeds from this raffle will be benefited
by Potomac Hospitals Pediatric Ward.
Elmtree's drawing for this big event was held on January 10,
l998. Patti Grace from Potomac Hospital and I were present. Mary
had decorated a area behind the cash register to honor Princess.
There were purple and white balloons and six Princess enclosed
in a plastic domes to protect them.
I used this opportunity to ask a few questions.
Mary, what made you choose Potomac Hospital for your charity?
(Mary) - I wanted to choose a organization that was local. I also
knew that you had worked closely with this organization.
Patty, what was your reaction when Mary contacted you about
this exciting news?
(Patty) - I was very excited. I even cut my trip short so that
I could attend today's drawing.
Mary, how many individual's entered the drawing?
(Mary) - 926
Mary, what was the public's reaction to this raffle?
(Mary) - They were very pleased with it's fairness and the dollar
amount to enter. Many people were glad to see that we did not
auction Princess off. The dollar amount tends to go out of people's
reach. This raffle was also going to a organization which the
community was very much aware of.
AND THE WINNERS ARE:
Woody C. - Woodbridge, VA
Lottie G. - Woodbridge, VA
Richard F. - Woodbridge, VA
Malin S. - Manassas, VA
Nicole J. - Woodbridge, VA
Fred S. - Woodbridge, VA
Malin is an adorable little girl who was present and received
her Princess; she was very excited and thankful. Mary indicated
to me a week after the drawing, that all winners had personally
dropped by to thank her.
Elmtree at Potomac Mills Mall raised $926.00 for Potomac Hospital's
Pediatrics.
Elmtree in Springfield Virginia- manager - Annie - raised $l,253.00
to Inova Children's Hospital through their own raffle using Princess.
Elmtree located at Center Plaza in Woodbridge, VA - Manager -
Judy Sheldon awarded ACTS of Eastern Prince William County $1,269.00
Elmtree located in Manassas, VA - manager Mary awarded St. Judes
$957.00
Elmtree located in The Mapledale Shopping Center, Woodbridge,
VA - Manager Janice raised $763.00 for ACTS.
Elmtree located in Lake Ridge raised $900.00 for ACTS.
I was also informed that with every purchase of $25.00 or
more, customers are entitled to a FREE chance to win a Princess.
Exclusively for children - Elmtree is allowing children only to
enter a drawing for Princess at a dollar a chance. Drawings will
be held on February 14, l998
From: Gumpysfarm
Gumpy's Farm is a baby specialty store. We thought long and
hard about what to do with Princess when and if she ever arrived.
We have so many customers who have become our friends over the
years, how would we choose who to sell her to? Everyone wanted
us to save them "just one". We decided to hold a raffle.
We see a lot of happiness here at Gumpy's with expectant Moms
and Dads coming in to choose accessories to decorate rooms for
their bundles of joy. Sometimes whole families come in together
to pick out a christening gown, or grandmas and grandpas come
in to pick out a surprise for their grandchild who made a good
grade. Those families are a network full of love and support.
It warms our hearts. Some families are not so lucky.
Sometimes expectant mothers don't have the love and support
they need when they find out they are about to become a parent.
This may cause her to panic and make some decisions she may regret
for the rest of her life. This fact haunts us everyday as we see
our customers bring their new little ones to meet us. They are
so proud, and full of hopes for the future - for these little
gifts from God.
The Princess raffle would give us an opportunity to help the
moms who needed support for their little ones, and alternatives
to abortion. We chose the Piedmont Women's Center as the beneficiary
of our raffle. They help mothers in crisis find counseling, clothes,
medical assistance, and anything else they might need to make
this important event in their lives a little easier.
We wanted our tickets to be cheap enough for everyone to have
the opportunity to help out, so we made them only one dollar.
We held two drawings - one Christmas Eve, and one New Years Eve.
Of course the local customers took part in the cause with much
generosity, as they are familiar faces, and we know them to be
good people. But it was the generosity of our Internet customers
that astounded us! About half of the amount we raised came from
them! One wonderful lady in Florescent Missouri sent a check for
$50.00! God Bless her!... and all those who took part. 100% of
all proceeds went to into the pot and we presented the Women's
Center with $400.00 last week.
From: Kathy Schubert
Reply-To: kangaroo@suba.com
Yes, I did give money to charity by selling Princess. I wrote
a letter to the people on my waiting list offering them a choice
of 12 of my favorite charities. They were to make out a $150.00
check to one of them and send the check to me. Then I sent the
Princess to them and the check to the various charities. I added
an extra donation and a note explaining how I got the checks when
I sent them to the Jewish United Fund, Chicago Food Depository
and Planned Parenthood. I was hoping to get some donations for
ASH and for public radio in Chicago WBEZ, but nobody chose those.
If I get any special thank you notes, I'll let you know.
Kathy
Kangaroo Connection
--
Please check our Beanie Babies Inventory page. It's revised daily
or even more often.
http://www.suba.com/~kangaroo/beanieinventory.html
From: "JustImagine"
Just Imagine is a specialty Toy Store in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
We held a three week food drive in December here at our toy store.
During the food drive, in which donors had a chance weekly at
winning a set of the Oct. releases, we received our Princess Bear.
We announced that as the Good Samaritan award we would give away
a free Princess to the person who donated the largest accumulative
number of items to the local food pantry through our food drive.
By the end of the food drive we had collected approximately 7,000
items for the food pantry. The highest donor brought in 2,066
items and was awarded Princess on Christmas Eve. We are in a town
of only 10,000 people and we feel that the food drive was a great
success.
Our phone # is 608-356-5507 Fax 608-356-5589 if you have any
further questions or comments.
Thank You
Todd Wickus
Owner
Just Imagine
From: exoticgifts@earthlink.net
Hello Janie--
We at Exotic Gifts & Collectibles had decided to have a raffle
for the Princess bear and donate all the money to charity. It
was the only decision because all of my wonderful customers had
wanted the piece. How do you decide who gets it and who doesn't???
To make matters worse, I had a woman offer me a hundred dollars
a piece for them before they even got here. At the time, I was
hunting for a house to purchase and could have really used the
money. But I still decided to donate the money to charity.
We started the raffle before the beanies even got here. Everyone
was really surprised that we were giving all twelve away. "Why
aren't you keeping one for yourself?" they asked. When the
shipment finally arrived, four were stolen!!! Someone had broken
into the box between here and TY. I was sure that no-one would
believe me.
One of my customers called me up and said what a nice thing
that we were doing, that she had seen the Princess for sale at
other stores for $250 and up. She actually called News 12 (A local
TV station news channel) and told them what we were doing. News
12 came down the next day and did a story on our store. Very exciting!!!
We received checks from all over the country. Everyday we
had more coming in the mail. The largest entry we had was $150.,
the smallest, a dollar. The letters I received were wonderful.
Everyone was so grateful to be given a chance at the drawing,
especially since all the money was going to charity.
The day of the drawing, we had a big crowd here. When I told
everyone that we had raised $2661. for the RONALD McDONALD HOUSE
OF LONG ISLAND they were thrilled. I let all the little kids pull
the winners. Seven were from right here in New York, the rest
were from all over the country. From coast to coast, Maine to
California and Washington. What a great day.
A wonderful post-script to this story, (for me anyway), two
days after we started the raffle, I finally found a house. (I
had been looking for almost a year) Exactly what I wanted and
at a great price. I told my mom that it was karma--you do good
and good comes back to you. She said it was the novenas she was
saying!!! All and all everything turned out great.
Erin Donahue
Exotic Gifts & Collectibles
720 Old Bethpage Road
Old Bethpage, New York 11804
exoticgifts@earthlink.net
1-516-752-0336
From: Sandy
Reply-To: sandy@Vestal.com
Organization: The Sideboard
Hi Janie,
I'm donating my Princess bears to critically ill children
at a local hospital ( not the hospital). With so few Princess
and a promise of more to come immediately, it didn't seem ethical
to charge big bucks and I didn't have as many bears as I had "best"
friends to sell them to.
Thank for asking,
Sandy, The Sideboard, Upland CA 91786
From: Kenhardt
We had a raffle for that raised $1938 for Alton Area Animal
Aid Association. It will buy enough medicine for the animals for
6 months. They said that was the most money they ever received
even from their all day fund raisers. When I called to tell them
how much we had collected for them, he just kept saying "My
God!, My God!" so I knew we had did good for them. Next time
we get her she goes to an auction for Easter Seals.
Dian
Dian's Treasures
112 West Third St.
Alton, IL. 62002
618-465-4890
kenhardt@aol.com
From: "gene lindsey"
We at The Doll Cottage donated $1625.00 to St Lukes's Regional
Medical Center. The contribution was used for support of the Mountain
States Medical Research institute Endowment Fund. They do a lot
of research for breast cancer cure.
We raised our money through an auction and drawing for the
"Princess" Beanie Baby.
The Doll Cottage is located at:
6481 Fairview Avenue
Boise, Idaho 83704
(208) 375-6500
Beverly & Gene Lindsey, Owners
From: Cynbears
Hi thanks for your note. We have a Good Bears of the world
Group in our area, and we are a Good Bears of the World shop.
Their purpose is entirely devoted to the gifting of Teddy Bears
for comfort and solace in times of crisis. Our Den -- The Sunshine
Bear Den gives to many groups in our area: ie shelters for abused
women and children, home for pregnant and addicted girls, St Mary's
Hospital -- children's unit ( for terminal and trauma )-- the
local Guardian Ad Litem program, a disabled class of children,
mentally retarded, nursing homes, and to a group that distributes
teddies in our area for the police, fire, rescue units etc. to
carry with them. We still have a couple of donations to come in
--- however at this point will be able to purchase well over a
100 teddies for our Den to distribute. Princess DI TY Beanies
from our shop will bring joy to many. God Bless, Cynthia
I forgot to mention we held a raffle @$1.00 each for 4 princess
and a silent auction on 4. Auction prices were $325; $300.00;
$275.00 and $250.00. A portion of our proceeds were given to Good
Bears.
Blessings Cynthia
Hi Janie -- just a update on our Princess totals -- all money
in on our first 12 -- we can now purchase over 450 teddies with
the funds we received!! very exciting to help that many children
–
Blessings Cynthia
From: "Carrie Card"
Actually we do have a story to tell about the DI Bear. My
aunt in Seaside,Oregon did a raffle with her to buy Teddy Bears
for Nursing homes and Hospice Homes all over are area. Her mother,
my Grandmother, just passed away from Cancer and her story inspired
the idea.
Take Care,
Carrie Card
I have written many articles over the past year. This one does
my heart good. Not only was there a tremendous amount of generosity
shown on the part of these retailers, but well established charities
benefited by their actions.
If you happen to know any of these retail establishments,
please take the time and thank them for their efforts.
We are all aware of what Beanies have done to many use-to-be
honest retailers. I, for one, am glad to see that this distinguished
group has not fallen by the way side.
