I started my first fundraising project in September, 2011. My mom was telling me about a co-worker's mom who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was not covered by private insurance or Medicare. She needed money to pay for radiation treatments and surgery. This is Ms Jeri's story:

Ms. Jeri Williams was a 63 year old widow living on Social Security. Ms. Williams had no health insurance and was not eligible for Medicare\Medicaid. She was diagnosed with Cancer in September and underwent radiation treatments in the hopes that the tumor would shrink enough to undergo surgery. Her required medications were several hundred dollars a month. Ms. Jeri did not win her battle against cancer, but she did win the hearts of everyone she came into contact with.

My brother Alan, is my other inspiration. He is a very caring and compassionate person., He is currently a resident in a children's hospital in Florida. He has completed three medical mission trips where he has been able to provide care for children in places like Ethiopia and Bangladesh. I took great pride in being able to raise money for his trip to Bangladesh.

Nina's Share-A-Bear started as an idea to raise money to purchase stuffed bears to share with sick kids so they would have something to hug while going through their illness. This evolved into making homemade bears. With the support and help of my parents and other family friends (Cindy, Alice, Mary, Dawn and many more) I started "Nina's Share-A-Bear".

For every bear that I make and sell, I will make and donate a second bear to a children's hospital. This allows me to continue my fundraising projects from the proceeds of the bears that I sell and it also brings comfort and a smile to a hospitalized child.