For the third year in a row, Princess Cruises woke a sleeping bear and participated in the annual Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Teddy Bear Drive.

And this year the employees at Princess engaged Stanley the Bear, Princess Cruises’ new mascot who helped inspire employees to donate more than 400 bears and other plush animals to help comfort over 12,000 ill and injured children who are admitted to the emergency room from around the Santa Clarita Valley area each year.

“I’m so proud of our team here at Princess. To see the result of this year’s teddy bear drive for Henry Mayo Hospital, supporting local families who find themselves in uncertain situations, truly inspires me” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “Participation in this program has been a wonderful way for our employees to make a difference in our community.”

Princess employee Kelly O’Keefe began the company participation in support of the hospital’s efforts three years ago, with the vision to make a difference in her community. Since then, O’Keefe has coordinated the donations each year through the corporation’s community service committee. Stanley the Bear, named after the company’s founder Stanley McDonald, is available for sale as a souvenir plush in the shops exclusively aboard all Princess ships. A portion of the proceeds from his sales are donated to PAWS: Princess Animal Welfare Sponsor which has already donated $25,000 to the Alaska Conservation Center.

More information about Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital can be found at http://www.henrymayo.com/.

Princess Cruises delivers donation of plush animals to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital as part of the 2018 Teddy Bear Drive. Pictured from left to right: Kelly O’Keefe (Supervisor, Cruise Vacation Planning Support, Princess Cruises), Brian O’Connor (Vice President, Public Relations, Princess Cruises), Stanley the Bear (life-size character), Dustin Ashenfelter (Director, Emergency and Trauma Services, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital), Renée León (Donor Relations Officer, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation).