By: Elisabeth Anderson, 10/04/06

The fur was flying on Fifth Avenue one recent Friday morning.

Gathered at the Build-A-Bear Workshop flagship store, children worked with Bear Builder associates to puff stuffing into their new pals. But it wasn’t business as usual for Build-A-Bear; this day was billed as “bear-y” special, as were the extraordinary kids in attendance.

August 25th marked the in-store and online launch of the company’s new bear, Champ A Champion Fur Kids. Champ embodies the Build-A-Bear Workshop philosophy of supporting children and their families who are working to overcome health obstacles and meet wellness challenges. $1 of each $18 Champ bear purchase will go toward a slew of children’s health and wellness causes.

501 (c)(3) charities that support such causes may apply for a Champ grant through the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation. Initial Champ grants presented at the launch will benefit Hope & Heroes Children’s Cancer Fund and Autism Speaks. Pediatric cancer patients and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders were invited to make and take home their own Champ bears at the event.

For Build-A-Bear Workshop Founder and Chief Executive Bear Maxine Clark, Champ was a no-brainer. “One of the most important things we can do is listen to our Guests,” she explains. “It’s because of one of our Guests, Nikki, that we have a bear in stores that supports children’s health and wellness. Many of our Guests have asked for help with causes that have affected them and in response to that we are building on Nikki’s legacy with Champ.”

The Nikki of whom Ms. Clark speaks is Nikki Giampolo, who lost her battle with a rare bone cancer in 2002, at age 15. Less than two weeks before she passed away, Nikki spent a great day at a Build-A-Bear Workshop, making scrubs-decked bears as Christmas thank-yous for her doctors and nurses.

As Ms. Clark would later learn from Nikki’s mom Gail, “Nikki noticed a pink bear that supported breast cancer research and questioned why there was not a bear to support children’s cancer research.” Nikki’s hope would stick with Mrs. Giampolo in the days after Nikki’s death; “I had all this energy but I didn’t know what to do with it. I remembered Nikki’s wish and reached out to Maxine.” Ms. Clark returned Mrs. Giampolo’s email immediately, and the Nikki’s Bear series of stuffed animals, benefiting children’s cancer research, launched in 2003.

Once again, listening to her customer base would be critical for Ms. Clark in the expansion of the company’s philanthropic efforts. “After launching Nikki’s Bear we heard from many of our Guests who had children that were struggling with a variety of different health issues. Wanting to be able to make an even bigger impact, we expanded the reach of Nikki’s Bear to help support other health causes.”

Smart design decisions for the new cause product, Champ A Champion Fur Kids, were crucial in appealing to a wide audience. To remind customers of Nikki’s inspiration, the bear’s purple patch heart pays homage to the original purple Nikki bears. Additional multi-color patches appear elsewhere on Champ, each “representing various struggles,” according to Ms. Clark. “Some kids dealing with health or wellness issues wear their patches on the outside, some on the inside. It doesn’t matter; they are all fighters like Champ. Champ [shows] that it is alright to let your stuffing show, letting kids know that needing help and sharing your feelings is OK.”

Also OK, and in fact encouraged, is personalization. Guests are invited to create birth certificates for their bears and register them in the Find-A-Bear ID tracking system; they can also pick out an outfit (or a whole wardrobe!) for Champ. In this way, cause marketing and customization co-mingle for optimal product appeal.

What’s next? The Workshop and Ms. Clark certainly won’t be halting their bear hugs anytime soon. “People have many choices in how and where to spend their money. Many choose to support socially responsible companies that help causes they are passionate about. More and more companies are starting to see the connection between doing good and having a prosperous business.”

It appears, according to Mrs. Giampolo, that Ms. Clark is on to something with her model of operation; Mrs. Giampolo, for one, is in it for the long run. “Maxine is just so hugely kind. I hope I’m always part of their family.”

For more information about Champ grants and the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation, visit www.buildabear.com/aboutus/community.

AD COUNCIL CAMPAIGNS
http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=15
A complete list of all the current Ad Council campaigns, which focuses on three areas: Community, Education, and Health & Safety. The mission of the Ad Counsil is to identify a select number of significant public issues and stimulate action on those issues through communications programs that make a measurable difference in our society. To that end, the Ad Council marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to create awareness, foster understanding and motivate action. The site also includes information on how to become an Ad Council campaign: http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=319

AD COUNCIL ENDORSED CAMPAIGNS
http://www.adcouncil.org/default.aspx?id=62
In addition to its own campaigns, the Ad Council also reviews campaigns created by other organizations and agencies. PSAs for Endorsed Campaigns do not bear the Ad Council logo and are not distributed by the Ad Council. Please call or write to the contacts listed for each campaign to receive media materials. There is also information on how your campaign can Become an Endorsed Campaign.