David McAlhany took the bravest teddy bears in the world for a sky jump. This way the stuffed animals got to arrive to the sick kids they want to help out.
McAlhany is an experienced sky diver. He has jumped out of a plane nearly 1000 times, Deseret News Utah reports. This weekend the jump was even more special.
David had several bears tied to his body as he made his jump. Several other sky diver-volunteers did the same.
They brought a total of 100 teddy bears to sick children at the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake City. The idea came to David when he read an article about other volunteers in Chicago. They sent stuffed animals in a plane to the air and them back down before giving them to kids.
So, David decided to build on that. “They’re the bravest bears in the world,” said Eddie Simone, general manager at the Layton Applebee’s restaurant, which offered customers an opportunity to participate in the fundraiser, helping cover the cost of the 10-inch-tall stuffed bears.
“Having a stuffed animal to hang onto can mean a lot to a kid,” said McAlhany, of South Weber, adding that he’s had some experience with that. He was also in the hospital as a child after a dog bite. Then his dad gave him a stuffed animal bunny which he loves to this day. “I’m 43 and I still have that bunny,” he said. “It definitely comforted me during a hard time in my life, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
As you can imagine, kids in the hospital love their new furry friends. The stuffies bring kids a lot of smiles and comfort and their adventures are even more uplifting. It’s just the power of the stuffed animals and the way they can bring a smile in tough situations.
