Teen that Inspires: Teddy Bears for Needy Children

Jason O'Neill
A very popular article on Examiner is about Teens that Inspire. Especially at holiday time it is always nice to hear "good news."

Here is an open letter from one of the many teens that inspire, Jason O'Neill:

Time is running out. December 4th is the deadline to donate to give teddy bears to kids at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA this Christmas.

Last year, with the help of people around the world, I raised $5,130 which enabled me to buy 1800 teddy bears for the kids.

I was hoping to top that amount this year but we have a long way to go in a short amount of time. If you are able to donate, every dollar counts. 100% of the money raised goes toward buying the bears. I use my own money for shipping, PayPal transaction fees, and any other miscellaneous expenses.

With any amount donated, your name will be added to my website fundraiser page. Thank you to those who helped last year and who have already donated this year. Everything is appreciated.

Thank you,

Jason O’Neill


15-year-old Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Author

Learn more click here.

So who is Jason?

Since I started my business in 2005, I have been donating to help other kids. The first charity I chose was HUGS Foster Family Agency in Temecula where we live. The money I donated went directly to whatever the kids needed


In 2008, I heard about Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. They are part of the Children's Miracle Network . I've been lucky and have never been hospitalized so I can only imagine what it must be like, especially for a kid. So I started a program with the hospital to help out. I take some of my money and buy toys, games, books, etc. and put together gift/activity bags for the kids in the hospital. I delivered my first donation of 25 bags at the end of the third quarter. The kids got notebooks, crayons, stuffed animals, and of course, some of my Pencil Bugs products.


Each quarter, I've tried to do something different. Click the links below to read highlights of my quarterly donations. Every time, it's a whole new fun experience. I never realized how much fun it could be to go shopping for toys and things for other kids. We do most of our shopping at Target to get the best deals so I can buy more things for the kids. It's pretty funny going through the store with a shopping cart full of stuff that's obviously not all for me. If people give me a weird look, I politely tell them that I donate toys to a children's hospital. That usually changes the look on their face and sometimes even starts a conversation .


If anyone is interested in helping out my project for the hospital, please contact me. The hospital is expanding with new construction so when that's done, they will be able to help a lot more kids.

Encourage your teen and your community to get involved. Giving feels so good!

Read more and watch slideshow.

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