It was hugs, smiles and joy on the faces of the children that attended the 25th anniversary of the Teddy Bears for Kids event at Ocean View Hills School in San Ysidro.
Children made their way through a line. The first stop was receiving a brand-new free teddy bear and greetings from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. After that, they walked through a long line where they were greeted by volunteers handing out more gifts including books, fleece blankets, bags and candy canes.
“Everyone that knows us, knows we do teddy bears and scholarships, that's a given,” said Alice De La Torre, the vice president of the San Ysidro Women’s Club, the organization that hosts the annual giveaway.
A 'moment of joy'
Maritza Gerardo-Chavarin, the group’s president, and a member for almost 15 years, shared why it’s important to her to help continue the yearly event.
“All for the kids, for the community, to give them a little joy, moment of joy to them, to this holiday season,” Gerardo-Chavarin said.
Brenda Contreras attended with her three children. It was their first time.
“You feel happy and jolly with all the decorations, and I thought it was really cool that Santa Claus and Mrs. Clause was here too,” Contreras said. “I know the kids get excited when they see them. So it was very nice they had teddy bears and book for the kids.”
The all-volunteer organization also promotes literacy and the joy of reading.
“It’s important to us to encourage the families to read and also to their kids, in English and Spanish,” Gerardo-Chavarin said. “We are a bilingual community, we are always looking for English and Spanish books.”
Scholarships' impact
The group is also committed to increasing educational opportunities for San Ysidro students and fundraises all year long to provide scholarships. This year marks 25 years of giving out scholarships to children and youth in the community.
One of those students was Cristian Fuentes Hernandez, a proud alumnus of San Ysidro High School.
Fuentes Hernandez moved to the U.S. when he was in the seventh grade. He had to learn English and adapt to a new culture all while navigating being a teenager.
He said he received a lot of support from teachers in San Ysidro and organizations like the Women’s Club. He remembers conversations with his teachers who helped him see his challenges as a form of strength.
“'Yeah, it's going to be a little harder for you, or maybe a lot harder for you, because you are an immigrant — you are all of these things, right? But, you are twice as hard working,' and for me that really shaped who I was; I was, like, it’s not — going to college, succeeding in college — it's not about how smart you are or all of these other things, but rather, are you willing to put in the work,” Fuentes Hernandez explained.
Fuentes Hernandez put in the work. He earned a bachelor's in political science and Latin American Studies from UC San Diego. He’s currently getting a master’s degree there as well. He volunteers with different community initiatives and currently serves as the chair of the San Ysidro Community Planning Group.
“In San Ysidro we have a way of doing things, which is very interesting because we have a way thinking of the other, you know how does (something) impact (the) other,” Fuentes Hernandez said.
Grace Kojima's legacy
Grace Kojima, a former superintendent of the San Ysidro School District, was also committed to giving back to the community.
When she retired, she joined the Women’s Club and founded the teddy bear giveaway and the scholarship program, 25 years ago. A street in San Ysidro was renamed in her honor in January. Kojima died a few months later.
De La Torre joined the Women’s Club after retiring, also from the San Ysidro School District. She’s been a member of the organization for 25 years and also serves as the current chair person of the Teddy Bears for Kids project.
“We’ve given out 22,000 teddy bears (in the last 25 years),” De La Torre said.
This year, a goal to secure the scholarship program was completed with the establishment of an endowment fund.
“We set the endowment fund, and now it’s done. So long after we are gone, students will still get the money,” De La Torre explained.
