By: Gena Johnson | C&G Newspapers | Published April 2, 2025
METRO DETROIT — Hospice of Michigan is looking for compassionate volunteers in Macomb and Oakland counties to create “Memory Bears” to comfort bereaved family members coping with the loss of a loved one.
Memory Bears are teddy bears about 8 inches tall. According to Hospice of Michigan, the teddy bears allow grieving families to capture and preserve aspects of their loved ones as a personal memento.
Families are encouraged to bring clothing of a loved one for sewers to use in creating a commemorative teddy bear, according to Hospice of Michigan’s website.
Pattie Huttenga started sharing her sewing skills with Hospice of Michigan in 2014 after her son was in hospice. The Memory Bears program was started the same year.
“For my son, Hospice (of Michigan) was here for the last two weeks of his life and they were so helpful. You just don’t know what to expect,” Huttenga said. “They were just there for whatever we needed. …When I saw they needed help, I had to give back.”
According to Tracey Pierce, the associate vice president of communications at Hospice of Michigan, before she donated the clothes of her loved ones she remembered that some items could be used for the Memory Bears program as a special keepsake.
“2021 was not the best (year). We lost three parents in my family within the year,” Pierce said. “As we were cleaning out their clothing, I was getting ready to donate them and I went into the office one day and saw an email that reminded me of ‘Memory Bears.’ It was a revelation.”
Each Hospice of Michigan patient’s family is eligible to receive one uniquely designed teddy bear as a memento.
“In times of loss, having a physical reminder of a loved one can be profoundly comforting,” said Ruth Moore-Lilly, a volunteer program manager for Hospice of Michigan. “By volunteering as a ‘Memory Bear’ sewer, you can make a lasting impact on grieving families by creating a cherished treasure that offers a source of peace through your craftsmanship.”
The program was launched in 2014 by the not-for-profit’s grief support services department to help bereaved families capture and preserve aspects of their loved ones through one-of-a-kind stuffed animals.
As the initiative continues to gain popularity among grieving families, additional volunteers are needed to meet sewing demands. Volunteers of all skill levels are welcomed as long as they can make the bears.
Interested volunteers need to provide their own sewing machine to participate.
For those who have experienced a loss, Hospice of Michigan encourages a waiting period of one year before becoming a hospice volunteer, “to allow for the processing of grief.”
Those in Oakland County who are interested in donating time to the program should contact Cynthia Palmer at cpalmer@hom.org or (248) 334-1323. For Macomb County residents, contact Amanda Layne at alayne@hom.org or (248) 568-7564.