Greenbriar Children’s Center received a significant donation and a visit from a giant teddy bear who ‘presented’ the donation.  This stemmed from a fundraising initiative at the recent Healthcare Convention and Exhibitors Association which occurred Sunday through Wednesday, Aug. 14-17, in Savannah for their Annual Meeting. Industry leading healthcare exhibit marketers; medical association meeting and exhibition directors; and exhibit design, creative marketing and convention services companies attended the event.

Each year at the HCEA annual conference, a community service project is chosen. This year, Greenbriar Children’s Center was selected for the honor. While in Savannah, members of HCEA spent time painting the apartments of the residents in Greenbriar’s Independent Living program for foster care youth, ages 18-21. The Association also donated funds for a copier to purchase for one of Greenbriar’s childcare centers.

Taylor Healthcare, part of The Taylor Group, led additional fundraising efforts for Greenbriar, including the Taylor Cares Bear initiative. The Taylor Group is a leading global producer of award-winning brand experiences, specializing in the strategy, design and execution of exhibits, events and environments. Taylor Healthcare brought along a teddy bear, “The Taylor Cares Bear,” to the annual meeting in Savannah, and the organization committed to donating $1 each time HCEAConnect participants took a picture with the bear and shared the image on Twitter with the hashtag #TaylorCaresHealthcare. As a result of the Taylor Bear initiative, Greenbriar received a $3,300 donation delivered by a giant teddy bear from Taylor Healthcare.

“At Taylor, heart and passion build relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust drives meaningful outcomes! The Greenbriar Children’s Center also embodies these core values,” said Alph Leydon, The Taylor Group Executive Vice President. “The ‘Taylor Cares!’ HCEA Initiative was able to share that with our audience, help those in need and create lasting impressions beyond the convention hall. We couldn’t be happier with the response and all the excitement it’s generated. It was fun and for a great cause-just ask ‘T-Bear’!”