By Associated Press - Monday, January 2, 2017

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana State University student and her mother are responsible for collecting 23,000 teddy bears for troops based all over the world.

The (Lafayette) Journal and Courier reports (https://on.jconline.com/2hZUhrR ) that Faith Killian-Fassnacht passed the duties on her to mother this year now that she’s at college. Rosanna Fassnacht on Saturday prepared about 300 teddy bears to be shipped to active-duty service members. The 12-year initiative is called Bear Hugs to Troops. Killian-Fassnacht started the effort when she was 9.

Each of the bears is dressed as a superhero and carries a hand-written letter to a soldier. This year the teddy bears were donated and decorated by students in New Jersey whose librarian heard about the program.



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Information from: Journal and Courier, https://www.jconline.com

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