One of the things I really love about my company is how much we give back. Be it with local women’s shelters, matching employee donations, and so much more. But one of my favorite give back events that we do annually is BEARing Gifts! We host an annual holiday toy drive as part of our company Cares initiative and partner with Harris County Child Protective Services to bring holiday joy to over 10,000 abused and neglected children in foster care. I know that purse strings are definitely tighter this year and we’re in the middle of a pandemic, but if you have the extra funds and want to bring a smile to a child’s face over the holiday season I recommend our BEARing Gifts toy drive.
I know, I know. This isn’t your standard gift guide. I wanted to mix things up and highlight a dope initiative my company does every year, and I actually got the idea to share it on this platform from another blogger who was one of my tenants last year. We typically do these in-person, but since COVID is still running rampant in these streets folks can “adopt” kids virtually this year. We’re still collecting unwrapped gifts for the kids and will have them delivered to Harris County Child Protective Services next month, so you don’t have to worry about wrapping them. In fact,
We encourage you to shop online or from Houston-area retailers, or you may shop from the BEARing Gifts Amazon Wish List. New and unwrapped toys may be dropped off with the BEAR in the lobby or may be shipped directly to the building office, and we will place your gifts in the lobby for you. Email or DM me and I’ll give you my office address for you to use when you’re checking out on Amazon.
If by chance you don’t want to shop on Amazon, and you want to patronize a local Houston-area retailer or even another retailer and want to mail the unwrapped gift to my office you can use the following guides:
– Newborn – 12 Months: Nursery Toys, Teething Toys, Interactive Learning Toys (musical, counting, spelling, speech), Ride-On Toys, Sit-To-Stand Walkers, Activity Blankets, Stuffed Animals, Soft Building Blocks
– Toddlers: Interactive Learning Toys (VTECH/Leapfrog), Toy Trucks/Cars, Action Figures/Dolls (and accessories), Costume/Dress-Up Items, Sports Equipment (Balls, Bats, etc.), Board Games, Puzzles, Bikes*, Scooters, Building Blocks/Legos, Stuffed Animals, Play Food/Dishes
– Children (up to 11 years old): Action Figures/Dolls, Bikes*, Scooters, Skate Boards, Sports Equipment (Balls, Bats, Gloves, etc.), Tween Make-Up Sets, Arts and Crafts Kits, Science/Discovery Kits, Board Games, Puzzles, Legos, Portable DVD Players, Remote Control Cars/Helicopters
– Children 12+: Tablets, Portable DVD Players, Bluetooth Headphones, Portable Speakers, Handheld games, Digital/Instant Cameras (with refills), Make-Up/Beauty Kits, Nail Polish Kits, Bath & Body Sets, Jewelry Items (both genders), Bikes*, Skateboards, Cologne/Perfume Sets, Purses or Backpacks, Wallets, Sports Equipment (all types)
Email or DM me and I’ll give you my office address for you to use when you’re checking out on your preferred vendor or if you want to mail them yourself. Like I said, I know that this isn’t the typical gift guide you’re used to seeing this time of year and I have a few of those queued up for y’all, but I wanted to encourage you to give back and make a child smile this holiday season.
