1.08.2008 - 09:00pm ET

(CSRwire) ST. LOUIS, MO - January 8, 2008 - The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation is awarding over $95,000 in cash grants to 42 children's health and wellness programs across the United States and Canada. The grants are funded with the help of Champ—A Champion Fur Kids, a furry friend available in all Build‑A‑Bear Workshop® stores. With the sale of each Champ, one dollar is donated through the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation to programs that help children by researching childhood diseases, promoting child safety, and serving children with special needs. The children's health & wellness grants are awarded twice annually following review by the Board of Directors of the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation.

"Build-A-Bear Workshop Guests live by the teddy bear philosophy of being good members of the community and the world," said Matt Oldani, manager of the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation. "One way our Guests carry out this ideal is by purchasing cause animals like Champ. This furry friend gives the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation the opportunity to support a wide variety of causes that make a difference to children and families in our communities."

Grant recipients include:
Advocates for Accessible Recreation, Inc (AFAR) – San Carlos, CA
To provide funding for materials to build a playground

Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation – Calgary, AB
To provide operational expenses for a pet therapy room where pets can visit patients of the children's hospital

American Cancer Society – Albuquerque, NM
To cover the expenses of a camp for children with cancer

Aniz, Inc. – Atlanta, GA
To provide funding for a substance abuse prevention program

Arthritis Foundation, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter – Philadelphia, PA
To provide camp scholarships for children with arthritis

ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Program – Waterloo, IA
To provide funding for riding scholarships, horse care, and equipment

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick – Brunswick, ME
To provide funding to cover the expense of YMCA visits for program participants

Building A Generation – Redlands, CA
To fund the purchase of car seats

Camp Fire USA First Texas Council – Fort Worth, TX
To provide funding for a program that supports special needs children

Carson Valley Children's Center- Austin's House – Carson City, NV
To provide funding for materials to build a playground

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa – Santa Rosa, CA
To underwrite dental care expenses for 240 children from low income families

Changing Gaits, Inc. – Brook Park, MN
To provide funding for equestrian therapy for children affected by substance abuse

Cheerful Givers – Eagan, MN
To support a birthday program for underserved children

The Children's Hospital Foundation – Omaha, NE
To fund the purchase of car seats and support an awareness campaign

Children's Outreach Project (C.O.P.) – Denver, CO
To fund an early education program for children with and without disabilities

Circle of Hearts Family Support Network – Winnipeg, MB
To help children scheduled to have open-heart surgery

Community Concerns for the Medically Fragile – Sarnia, ON
To provide funding for a wheelchair accessible playground

Equus Heals, Inc. – Broadway, NC
To fund the purchase of horseback riding safety equipment for children with disabilities

Garden State Discovery Museum's CFL – Cherry Hill, NJ
To fund the purchase of therapeutic items and supplies for children with Autism Spectrum disorders

Hands and Hearts for Horses – Thomasville, GA
To fund a therapeutic riding program for children with disabilities

Helmets First – Columbia, IL
To provide helmets for kids

I'm a Kid Foundation – Henderson, NV
To provide funding for a children's heath awareness campaign

Medical Mission for Children – Paterson, NJ
To fund the purchase of a mascot to perform in children’s hospitals

Mended Little Hearts of Southern Wisconsin – Madison, WI
To fund the production and distribution of bags containing health information for children facing open heart surgeries and their families

Mercy Special Learning Center – Allentown, PA
To fund the purchase of adaptive wedges and to cover transportation expenses for mentally and physically disabled children

Moorestown Visiting Nurses & Hospice – Moorestown, NJ
To underwrite a camp for bereaved children

lar Dystrophy Association – Fort Wayne, IN
underwrite the expense of a camp for children with neuromuscular disorders

Muscular Dystrophy Association of St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
To underwrite the expense of a camp for children with neuromuscular disorders

Neurofibromatosis, Inc. – Vacaville, CA
To underwrite the expenses of a traveling teddy program for children with neurofibromatosis

New York Restoration Project – New York, NY
To cover the expense of a learning program for at-risk youth

Our Mother's House / Catholic Charities – Venice, FL
To cover the expense of a program for single mothers and their school-age children

Pegasus Riding Academy – Philadelphia, PA
To fund a therapeutic riding program for autistic children

Professional Flair – Cleveland, OH
To provide funding for dance lessons for individuals with disabilities

Soul Friends, Inc. – Wallingford, CT
To provide funding for a program serving children with special needs

St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf – Chesterfield, MO
To fund the purchase of hearing aids

St. Patrick Center – St. Louis, MO
To provide funding for an emergency shelter for children and families

Sugar Grove Developmental Day School – Sugar Grove, NC
To fund the purchase of educational equipment

The Toledo Hospital/ Toledo Children's Hospital – Toledo, OH
To provide funding for program expansion

United Way Success By 6 – Davenport, IA
To underwrite the operating expenses of a dental clinic for low income children

Woodview Children's Centre – Burlington, ON
To fund a program supporting children with social, emotional, and behavioral issues

Youth in Need– St. Charles, MO
To fund a program that provides housing, counseling, and education to youth in crisis

YMCA Camp Carter – Fort Worth, TX
To provide scholarships for blind or visually impaired children to attend camp

About Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation
Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation is committed to making life more bearable for children, families, and pets in need of a helping paw. The Foundation makes grants to qualified non-profit organizations that support the health and wellness of children, families, the care and welfare of animals, the preservation of the environment, and the promotion of literacy and education for all. Visit www.buildabear.com for more information.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience.  Founded in St. Louis in 1997, the company currently operates more than 300 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.  The addition of franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia make Build-A-Bear Workshop the leader in interactive retail.  In November 2004, the company expanded the make-your-own concept from stuffed animals to dolls with the opening of its first friends 2B made® stores, where Guests can make their own doll friends.  In April 2006, Build-A-Bear Workshop acquired The Bear Factory Limited and Amsbra, Ltd. adding company-owned stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  In December 2007, the company launched its new virtual world at www.buildabearville.com.  Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $437 million in fiscal 2006.  For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning Web sites at www.buildabear.com and www.friends2bmade.com.

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