Miracle Moment: Teddy bears for children in need

Reporter: Amanda Hall Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Miracle moment
A teddy bear on a stretcher is being sent to Golisano Children’s Hospital. Credit: WINK

For this Miracle Moment, WINK News spoke to a 90-year-old woman who is giving comfort to children in the hospital.

Ellen Sheppard has lived a modest, quiet life off McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers for more than 50 years.

Inspired by a program on television where volunteers crafted homemade teddy bears for charity, Sheppard and her late husband John Sheppard began researching how to stitch together bears for the local community.

Their goal: to bring comfort to every child admitted to the Golisano Children’s Hospital.

The couple had created thousands of teddy bears to the local hospital, delivered by an 18-wheel truck.

Before John passed in 2022, the Sheppards donated almost $500,000 to the Golisano Children’s Hospital, while also creating a fund that continues to purchase teddy bears every year.

Ellen and her late husband have given quietly in other areas in the Southwest Florida community for years.
   

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.