Teddy Bear Toss

Since 2011, the Billy Bear Hug Foundation (BBH) has provided the "cure of comfort" to children with life-threatening illnesses in West Michigan. Through partnerships with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, Bronson Children's Hospital, and Hospice of Michigan, we provide teddy bears, care packages, and other quality of life support to children. In addition, through our Youth Advisory Board service-learning program, high school students gain hands-on experience running a non-profit organization while gaining exposure to area business leaders, philanthropists and medical professionals. BBH was founded to honor the life of Billy Wondergem, an aspiring pediatric oncologist whose lifelong dream of helping children with life-threatening illnesses was cut short with his untimely death in 2010. While Billy is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the work of BBH. Consistent with Billy's approach to his anticipated medical career, Billy Bear Hug was founded with the belief that there is more to pediatric medicine than just the science, and aims to ensure that childhood illness is a journey no child or family ever faces alone.