More Than a Bear: How the 2026 Be A Friend Program Empowered Kids to Change the World

4 days ago
4 min read

Building friends, creating memories, and showing young people that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

What happens when you give young people the opportunity to make a difference?

You get something much bigger than a stuffed animal.

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The Be A Friend Program was created to empower youth within our partner organizations to experience the joy of giving firsthand. Each participant creates two stuffed animal friends—one to keep and one to give to a child facing a difficult situation.

Our 2026 program brought 150 foster and kinship youth from Project KARE to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium for a day filled with friendship, fun, encouragement, and purpose.

Because sometimes a child needs more than a toy. They need to know they matter, they are capable, and they can make a difference.

Where the Dream Began

The idea behind Be A Friend grew from Children's Toy Fund's longtime work bringing hope, comfort, fun, and smiles to children facing difficult situations.

As we worked more closely with youth in foster care, we realized they needed more than opportunities to receive. They needed opportunities to give, create, connect, and experience the feeling of making a difference in someone else's life.

That became the heart of Be A Friend.

The program began with a pilot of 37 youth in 2023 and has continued to grow each year.

The goal has always been simple: show young people that their circumstances don't take away their ability to create positive change.

One Bear to Keep. One Bear to Give.

At the center of Be A Friend is the opportunity to create two Build-A-Bear friends.

One becomes a companion for the participant's own adventures.

The other is made for a child at Akron Children's Hospital who may be facing injury, illness, or an uncertain day.

Each donated bear is paired with a handmade card created by the participant—a personal reminder that somewhere in their community, another child was thinking about them.

It transforms a simple stuffed animal into something much more meaningful:

A friend made by a friend.

Becoming a World Changer

A special addition to the 2026 program was our World Changer Medal.

After donating their second bear, each participant received a medal with “World Changer” inscribed on the back.

We wanted the children to have something tangible to remind them that they are capable of making a difference through simple acts of kindness.

Watching their faces as they received those medals was unforgettable.

The medal wasn't really about the award. It was about the message:

You have something to give. Your kindness matters. You can change the world.

More Than a Service Project

Be A Friend was designed to be more than a service project. It was a day for kids to play, laugh, try something new, and simply enjoy being kids.

The 2026 event included football drills and field activities with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Youth Department, mascots, food, games, bubbles, and plenty of opportunities for encouragement and connection.

For some children, the highlight was building their bear. For others, it was running onto the stadium field or trying something they weren't sure they could do.

And that's the beauty of Be A Friend.

There's a moment for every child.

The Ripple of Kindness

The impact of Be A Friend doesn't end when the event is over.

A child creates a bear.

Another child receives it.

A family watches their child experience the joy of giving.

A volunteer encourages a young person.

A community partner contributes their time and resources.

And somewhere at Akron Children's Hospital, a child receives a new friend during a difficult moment.

By the end of the 2026 program, 320 Build-A-Bears had been created—some going home with foster and kinship youth and others being donated to Akron Children's Hospital.

But the impact can't really be measured in bears.

It's measured in confidence, connection, memories, and moments of hope.

From One Child to Another

One of the most meaningful parts of 2026 was getting to see the story come full circle.

After watching the youth create their bears, we later had the opportunity to deliver them to Akron Children's Hospital and see some of those bears placed directly into the hands of patients.

There is something incredibly powerful about seeing a child receive a gift that another child intentionally made for them.

A toy can bring comfort.

But knowing another kid made it just for you creates an entirely different kind of connection.

For us, getting to witness that moment was an incredible privilege.

Creating Memories That Last

Be A Friend is ultimately about creating memories.

For the children who participate, we hope they'll remember the stadium field, the bear they built, the friends they made, and the moment they received their World Changer medal.

But we also hope they'll remember something deeper:

They have the power to make a difference.

That lesson can stay with them long after the bears are gone.

It Takes a Village

Be A Friend is possible because a community believes in the power of young people.

We are incredibly grateful to our 2026 sponsors, volunteers, community partners, families, and everyone who helped bring this experience to life.

PARTNERS

COMMUNITY AFFILIATES

Massillon High School

Front Rank

And to every child and family who participated: thank you for showing us what it means to be a World Changer. Your kindness is the heart of this program, and your impact reaches farther than you may ever know.

Help Us Create More World Changers

If you're a business, organization, school, community group, volunteer, sponsor, or simply someone who wants to be part of the next chapter, we'd love to connect with you.

Because changing the world doesn't always start with something big.

Sometimes it starts with a bear.

A card.

A smile.

A child choosing to give.

And one small act of kindness creating a ripple that reaches farther than anyone imagined. 💙🧸

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