In 2004, I was doing The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for the third year. My fundraising goal was $10,000 and I knew I had to come up something creative to help me reach that.

I was still a relatively new New Yorker, I loved going to Broadway shows, and I was a sucker for celebrities. So, I came up with an idea that took advantage of being in New York, made use of my interest in Broadway, and gave me something legitimate to talk to celebrities about!

I’d wait outside theaters, talk shows or other events for celebrities and explain to them that I was doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and trying to raise $10,000. I’d ask them to sign a little tag that said “Thank You for Your Donation to The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer” and to pose for a picture with the stuffed Avon Breast Cancer Crusade bear. Then I’d post all the pictures on the web and conduct an online auction. Voila! The almost $4,000 that I raised with Project Teddy Bear helped me raise a total of $15,000!

In 2005, when I decided to walk in all eight Avon Walks and set a goal of $25,000, I knew that Project Teddy Bear would be a big part of my fundraising. My friends and I collected more than 100 bears in 2005 and, in the end, I raised a total of $28,000!