Brew for Bears: Gastropub gifts kindergartners teddy bear friends By Laura I. Winn
On Wednesday, Dec. 20, the 90 kindergartners at Dyer-Kelly Elementary School in Arden-Arcade entered a classroom to find a great surprise: a huge stack of Build-A-Bear teddy bears courtesy of Serpentine Fox Prohibition Grill. As the children squeezed into the room to sit in front of all 90 bears – a mocha or vanilla bear for each child – they shared their excitement with one another. These bears were not just another toy to add to their collection. For many of the low-income students, these bears might be their only stuffed animal and their only Christmas present. A majority of the kindergartners recently moved to the area from the Middle East, including a number of refugees. They came to the first day of class speaking no English and with no familiarity with school or American culture. But regardless of whether the students are originally from Afghanistan or Arden-Arcade, their teachers say they love coming to school and learning teddy bear stories like Corduroy, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and their most recent holiday read, The Gingerbread Bear. “What these bears mean to them is more than anyone can imagine,” explained K-1 teacher Whitney Webb. “The population we serve is so grateful to have anything – whether it’s a piece of paper or a bear they will cherish forever. These students have a connection to school. At the end of the day, most don’t want to go home, so
Photo courtesy
Serpentine Fox owner Diego Peralta with daughter Yesenia and cousin and marketing director, Jace Angelo at Brew for Bears
anything that reminds them of the safe school, their teacher, the love, it is so valued and appreciated.” Describing the teddy bear as a “reliable friend,” kindergarten teacher Yesmine Thompson echoed her colleague’s comments.“Our students have such unpredictable lives. When they leave the safety of school, there’s uncertainty. Will there be enough food? Will the heat work? Will there be craziness within their apartment complex? To know that there’s a friend that’s always there, that’s security.” That feeling of security is what Serpentine Fox owner Diego Peralta hoped to bring to the Dyer-Kelly students through the bear donations. The Ser-
pentine Fox paid for 50 of the bears and raised the funds for the remaining 40 through a Brew for Bears Build-ABear Marathon held on December 15 at the new Arden-Arcade gastropub on El Camino Avenue. Teachers, restaurant customers and staff, and the Greater Arden Chamber of Commerce pitched in to pay for and help build the bears. The inspiration for the event came from Peralta’s 8-year-old daughter Yesenia. Before Yesenia was born, Peralta made her a “bare bear,” a basic brown Build-A-Bear, which he slept with so it would absorb his scent. Yesenia has slept with the bear all her life. When Peralta asked his daughter why she still slept with her bear, she told
him it makes her feel safe and comforted. Since Yesenia has so many other bears, Peralta suggested donating the rest to needy kids. Then a week later at the mall, Yesenia and Peralta passed a Build-A-Bear shop and Yesenia exclaimed, “Why don’t we make new bears to donate!” Yesenia’s idea matched perfectly with Peralta’s desire to have the Serpentine Fox be like Cheers, or the more charitable version – a place where everyone knows your name, where you can hang out, play Jenga and forget about the day’s stresses for a couple of hours. He and his cousin, Jace Angelo, who serves as director of marketing, also want customers to know that Serpentine is invested in the community for the long-term. “I hope this event creates a domino effect every year and more businesses do it. Maybe next year we can do kindergarten and prekindergarten. We want to grow bigger and bigger,” Angelo explained. That’s an idea shared by Webb who said she hopes it’s a tradition passed on at other schools in other communities. “I was in awe of the donation. It’s so nice that people come together no matter who they are or where they’re from,” she stated. Thompson, who wanted to give a “huge, enormous thank you” for the bears, added that not only is the donation something that will touch her students’ lives forever, but seeing the joy on their faces as the students cuddled and named their bears is something that changes the teachers’ lives, as well.
Lic# 344700003
4
Arden-Carmichael News • December 29, 2017 • www.valcomnews.com
Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.