The Mr. I Children's Charity is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization founded by 17 year old Sami Newman. Once a patient at Children's Memorial Hospital, Sami understands the need to have a special friend when procedures and tests feel overwhelming or scary, or when one just doesn't feel great. She created the Mr. I Bear to ensure that every child has someone to hug and to help them feel better. All donations go directly toward purchasing Mr. I Bears to ensure they are always available. 

Sami's Story

When I was 8-years-old, for about a year, I had to undergo a series of tests, some which kept me in the hospital all day long. Additionally, I had to have a number of closed MRIs that were claustrophobic, loud and quite intimidating. All my tests were long and scary, and the more I had, the more nervous I became. Having remembered how I felt each test, every test following created further and greater anxiety. One day, refusing to enter the daunting MRI machine again and crying from fear, I was brought a Teddy Bear to help calm me and provide me with a friend who would bring me comfort. I named him Mr. I after the imposing MRI machine. Throughout my journey at Children’s, I saw children at the hospital who were in far worse shape than I, and I felt awful for them and their families. Luckily for me, my diagnosis was not severe, and for the next three years, I had to go to the outpatient facility to receive a shot once a month. However uncomfortable the shots were, they were nothing compared to the tests and treatments that other children must undergo on a daily basis at Children’s hospitals throughout the country.

I created the Mr. I Bear in order to bring comfort to children who are sick, anxious, are going through scary procedures, and who just need a friend (like I did). Every dollar donated to the Mr. I Children’s Charity goes toward the purchase of bears to donate to these very brave children.