"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
ABOUT
LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS
Learn more about our sister in Christ, Lori Reimer, her project and her faith story in January, as well as the organization Cuddles with Kindness®. The Salem Family will collect teddy bears and host other special activities this month as we remember that God’s Love Bears All Things.
UNBEARABLE LOSS
In 2005, Salem’s Parish Nurse, Lori Reimer and her family suffered what one might describe as an “unbearable” loss when Allison Reimer, Lori’s daughter, died suddenly at the age of 20 of a brain aneurysm. Allison grew up at Salem and many remember her love of life, family, friends, Girl Scouts, Camp Tapawingo, and Greenville College. She loved Jesus and she loved her Salem family. She also loved teddy bears and had quite a collection of her own while growing up.
Lori, who has been faithful in keeping Allison’s memory alive in a variety of ways over the years, started collecting teddy bears in January 2015. She collected 50 or so the first year and donated them to a local radio show who was hosting a Teddy Bear Drive for the Children’s Hospital. The second year, family and friends joined in, and the effort snowballed from there. Lori’s largest collection was in 2020 when almost 500 teddy bears were collected in Allison’s memory. The radio station has stopped hosting its annual Teddy Bear Drive. Lori now donates the bears she collects directly to a local organization called “Cuddles with Kindness®.”
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS
SUNDAY, JAN 22: Love Bears All Things – Teddy Bear Drive Kick-Off:
Lori Reimer's faith story between services at 9:45am
WEDNESDAY, JAN 25: Cuddles with Kindness® Teddy Bear Picnic at Breaking Bread, 5PM-7PM at Salem
Catered boxed dinners; craft, music, story, and games; Guest speaker: Taylor Larson, founder and CEO - Cuddles with Kindness®
SATURDAY, JAN 28 - Cuddles with Kindness® Event at Build-A-Bear Workshop, 10AM-11:30AM at Northwoods Mall
Please RSVP with Jill Goldhammer (jgoldhammer@salemofpeoria.com)
ABOUT CUDDLES WITH KINDNESS®
Cuddles with Kindness® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing comfort to kids in need. Our mission is to provide comfort to children facing traumatic situations while amplifying our goal to inspire kindness and compassion, no matter your age. We do this by providing cuddly stuffed animals for them to hold on to. Founder, Taylor Larson spent 9 days in the OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois when she was a child. During her stay she received a bear on Valentine’s Day. It changed her forever. Today, Taylor and the Cuddles with Kindness® organization delivers thousands of stuffed friends to children each year. Help us in our mission of “kindness.”
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