A Work in Progress
January 13, 2008 | By: Brad
I just wanted to write this entry because there’s been a lot on my mind lately. Really, no one should have to defend themselves but I just wanted to point out that in the past, I have been labeled as unapproachable, unsociable and a few other things. To clear things up, I am none of that. If anything, working here at VTB has taught me how to better myself when it comes to interacting with others. Like any normal human being, I have bad days. Sometimes, I don’t seem friendly as well.
But, my point is that we all have days where we can’t just hide our feelings with a smile. I’ve had a lot of difficult experiences growing up with my disability. It’s still one of my weaknesses to struggle with interacting with others. It’s a work in progress though. Working here at VTB has taught me how to open myself up more to others. The generosity and respect that I have gotten from many fellow coworkers has encouraged me to keep going.
It’s all a work in progress. No one can change overnight. The important thing is to learn not to take it personal. I will continue to work on my approach as well. I want nothing more but to advance and offer more to VTB than I can currently.
Topics: Bear Crew | 1 Comment »
Merry First Christmas, Violet Rae!
December 20, 2007 | By: Nate
Violet Rae’s had quite a year. Her mom started a blog just for her in June, just in time for Violet’s grand debut to the world in early July, and now, for her very first Christmas, Violet’s just received a Baby’s First Christmas Bear from her grandma and grandpa.
We know all this because Violet’s mom (who, in the best blogging tradition, goes by the sobriquet “Violet’s Mama”) shares the love in a recent post. And people, let me tell you, that new Teddy Bear has to really, really rachet up its “cute” game if it wants to compete with Violet. See what I mean.
So here’s a big Bear thank-you to Grandma and Grandpa for letting Vermont Teddy Bear play a part in staying connected with their wonderful granddaughter, and a huge thanks to Violet’s Mama for letting us all share in the experience. And most of all, Merry Christmas to you, Violet Rae.
Topics: Blogs & Articles, Special Occasions | No Comments »
Teddy Bear Clothes Aren’t Just for Bears Anymore
December 14, 2007 | By: Meg
Of course we have some terrific fuzzy mittens and hats and other human wear, but these pictures, sent to us by Kerri & Arianna King (mother and daughter) from Johnston, RI are truly unique. Their dog, Yuki, is a 2-year old American Eskimo.
Many thanks to Kerri & Arianna for sharing these pictures, and of course thanks to Yuki, too, for being such a superb canine model.
Topics: Humor | 5 Comments »
Great Customer Service: Way to Be Bear!
December 10, 2007 | By: Meg
Pam Jay and Amy Caldwell in the Contact Center did a fantastic job assisting this customer whose Bear had gone astray. Below is the e-mail the customer (now newly engaged) sent us following his experience.
Dear Vermont Teddy Bear,
I recently purchased a Holiday Hunk Bear to help me with a very important task. I wanted him to hold the ring (and my hand!) while I proposed to my girlfriend on her birthday. There was only one small problem with my plan. The bear I ordered did not arrive on the expected day. After using the tracking link provided in my order confirmation to find out where he went, I contacted Customer Service, where a very sympathetic Bear Counselor named Amy took down all the information and promised to get to the bottom of the mystery of why my bear got lost. An AmBear Alert was issued to find my lost bear.
A few minutes later, my phone rang, and a wonderful lady named Pam explained what had happened to my bear. A software glitch had mistakenly routed my bear to another state, for which she apologized. In fact, your bear counselors seemed more upset by my wayward bear than I was, and Pam was genuinely concerned that my bear would not be here in time for the proposal. She assured me that she would personally see to it that a replacement was sent out by Next Day Air so that he would be here to help. Well, Vermont Teddy Bear and Pam saved the day. Cyrano de Beargerac was a huge hit, and my girlfriend said YES! She said she couldn’t resist such a cute little fella. She never would tell me if she meant me or the bear, though…It’s wonderful people like Pam and Amy that keep me coming back to Vermont Teddy Bear. Cyrano was the 4th bear I’ve purchased in the last 3 years. Your customer service is unparalleled and your people are wonderful. They love what they do and it shows.
Thanks again.
B.C. in Oklahoma City, OK
Topics: Love Letters | No Comments »
Best of the Bocce Bunch
November 21, 2007 | By: Nate
Bocce: A test of will, a brutal competition, a searing ordeal that pushes the limits of human endurance, the ultimate…ah, who am I trying to kid? You stand around and pitch small balls at other small balls. The worst that can happen is you pull a muscle…slightly…and that’s assuming you’ve been completely sedentary since the Reagan administration.
Topics: Bear Crew, VTB Factory | No Comments »
“Runner Girl Knits” Shows Us How to Be Bear
November 16, 2007 | By: Nate
“She Runs! She Knits! Not at the Same Time!”
That’s the zingy subhead for Runner Girl Knits, a blog from an ultra-energetic Bay Area resident named Amy. When she’s not at the day job, Amy likes to knit, prepare for and endure marathons across the country, and, oh yes, love love love on her Vermont Teddy Bears.
Amy’s blog is chock-full of healthy adoration for her Teddy Bears, but if she receives a Bear-Gram in less-than-perfect condition, she doesn’t shy from letting her readers know. That was the case recently when Amy ordered her latest Vermont Teddy Bear, a Sweetheart Bear she named Suzy.
Topics: Blogs & Articles | No Comments »
“Ain’t No Party like a VTB Party…”
November 14, 2007 | By: Nate
“…’cause a VTB party don’t stop.”*
That was what I seemed to hear as I milled about the hundreds of men, women, and children who came from all over to help us celebrate National American Teddy Bear Day, a party in honor of…well…you know.
This is the 8th year Vermont Teddy Bear’s held this special day, a blur of arts and crafts, Factory tours, singing, cake and ice cream, balloons, face painting, and Bears, Bears, Bears, Bears! Basically, an awesome time, especially for the under-four-foot-tall set.
Topics: Bear Crew, VTB Factory | 3 Comments »
National American Teddy Bear Day Thoughts
November 12, 2007 | By: Brad
I originally did not plan to stop by on Saturday the 10th. I knew that my niece, Krista wanted to come down to take the tour and see the bears. My father arranged to bring her down and asked me to tag along.
It was a good experience for my niece. She ended up getting a stuffed cat as she’s obsessed with cats. We took the tour and it felt kind of weird for me because I’ve always seen people give tours but I’ve never taken the tour myself. It was interesting and I felt that the tour guide did a good job of leading the group through. I didn’t get any cake though. The cake was huge.
Anyway, it was a good time and I can see why this event happens every year. It’s a good opportunity for people to come here and see how bears are made, etc. I imagine it’s a lot more exciting through the eyes of a 5 year old and I know my niece enjoyed herself.
Topics: Special Occasions, VTB Factory | 2 Comments »
Saving the World’s Bears
November 8, 2007 | By: Nate
“For long ages, bears have held a special place in human minds and myth. They represent power, ferocity, strength…From cave bears to Beowulf, from Goldilocks to the legend of the Danish royal family descended from bears, our species has grown up with this one. Now our species threatens to overwhelm this one, in old fashioned ways and new ones, from bear baiting to bear farms, to a shrinking ice cap and homes in bear country.”
So says Tom Ashbrook, the host of WBUR’s On Point, at the start of a recent show examining the history, mystery, and, sometimes, misery of the world’s bears. Joined by Victor Watkins, Wildlife Advisor to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and Robert Bieder, author of “Bear” and a retired Indiana University visiting history professor, Ashbrook spends the better part of an hour delving into bears’ long and very special relationship with humans.
I can’t recommend the show highly enough. However, I’ll warn you that, unlike the tender loving care our Teddy Bears are so lucky to receive, real bears frequently face lives of brutal exploitation. Watkins and Bieder are very forthright about the many ways that bears are mistreated around the world, not to mention the issues of environmental degradation, habitat encroachment, and poaching, and these descriptions can be appalling. To be honest, at points in the show, I flat-out cried.
But the reason I’m sharing this important show with you–the reason I was asked to share it–is that I’m part of a company that has forged a very special relationship of its own with the bear. This relationship has informed our evolution, produced a point of view, created a way of life.
We say there is an answer to inhumanity. Be Bear.
We say there is an answer to selfishness. Be Bear.
We say there is an answer to isolation. Be Bear.
By doing good, by not just paying it back but paying it forward, by keeping connected to others and to nature, Being Bear is being true to the spirit of the bear and being true to a living, breathing relationship…with living, breathing beings.
That’s why, right here in the Be Bear blog, we’re saying, “If you can make the time, please listen to ‘Saving the World’s Bears‘ and learn about the history and reality of humanity’s unique relationship with bears.”
That’s why we have a relationship with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a wonderful nonprofit organization working to prevent animal cruelty and abuse, protect wildlife and their habitats, and rescue animals around the world. To help support IFAW’s crucial work, we have a collection of six special Teddy Bears called Save The Bears®. (Click here to see our Save The Bears® collection.) The sale of each of these Bears yields a $5 donation to IFAW to help all their work, which includes working to eradicate bear farming. (Here’s some more about our Save The Bears program on the IFAW site.)
That’s why we do so many of the creative, caring, optimistic things we do. Being Bear helps us come to our senses. We hope that, by Being Bear, we become better humans.
Topics: Bearvolution, Save the Bears | No Comments »
Halloween Paraders Make Merry & Money
November 6, 2007 | By: Nate
Join the parade? Me? But I’m just here to take some pictures for the blog.
Well, you never know when you’re going to be caught up in the merrymaking here at VTB, especially when United Way fundraising week happens to coincide with Halloween. I stopped by to snap a few photos but ended up as a parade recruit, carrying the Halloween tune boombox as my fellow paraders boogied their way through the buildings, accosting encouraging coworkers to donate to United Way of Chittenden County.
Topics: Bear Crew, Special Occasions, VTB Factory | 4 Comments »
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