When you see a Teddy Bear, what do you think? Do you think of the sentimental value behind it? The same can be said for me. I have a Teddy Bear that I’ve had since birth, given to me by my parents. Ever since, I have kept it close to me, both physically and emotionally. It is something that when I look at, I don’t think about how I got it, nor do I think about the history of the Teddy Bear (for those of you who don’t know, the Teddy Bear was created in honor of President Teddy Roosevelt in the early twentieth century). I think about the one thing it represents when I look at it: love. It’s crazy how one object can change so much, and can mean so many things. Imagine what other Teddy Bears do for other people.
For John Theissen, it helped create a nonprofit organization. At the age of 17, he was diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumor, and was hospitalized. There, he met a 7-year-old girl named Tasha, who spent lots of time with John and his family. John’s hospitalization happened around Christmas time, so it was hard for Tasha since her family didn’t visit. Luckily, John’s family did, and they were more than happy to include Tasha, including to a Christmas event downstairs. John wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay behind as Tasha went with his family. When Santa asked Tasha what she wanted for Christmas, she said she wanted a Teddy Bear for her friend upstairs to make him feel better. John was that friend. This made John feel so fortunate that he had met Tasha, and how she was so grateful and fortunate to have her by his side.
John decided that after seeing Tasha and other children sick in the hospital, with wires and IV’s attached to them, that he wanted to do anything to help students. With this, he created the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, which is based in my hometown of Wantagh, New York. The year after his brain tumor surgery, he decided to do a toy drive for kids in the hospital during the holidays. In just two weekends, he was able to collect over 800 toys to distribute to children in hospitals across Long Island, putting a smile on their faces for the holidays. This was just the beginning for John, as he decided that there was more work to be done than just giving toys around the holiday. While John still collects toys to this day (since 1992, John and his Foundation have collected over 1 Million toys and have donated them to sick and underprivileged children), he also is involved in helping the community in other ways. For example, he distributes clothes and school supplies in his yearly “Back to School Program”. He also continues to raise money for children dealing with illness and/or hardship through many year-round events. His “Freaky 5K” that happens in October raises money for his foundation, as well as Holiday Gala’s, which bring in big-name celebrities to auction off sports memorabilia, and Poker Nights. The money collected during these events all go towards the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.
So what does the money go towards? When a child is sick, John will go out of their way to help the child. There was one family, the Rochel family, whose 11-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, has battled cancer three times. John found out of her second relapse on a Thursday. The very next day, John organized a party free of charge to the Rochel family for Caitlyn, her sister, and both of their friends, at John’s office, which has a large part of it customized to be a “Family Fun Center”, knowing that Caitlyn would not be able to see her friends and family as often as she would. When Caitlyn got better, she sent the two sisters and their friends in a limo to the American Girl Doll store for a shopping spree. One thing that the mother loved about John was not only being able to put a smile on Caitlyn’s face during this tough time, but on her sister’s face, as the mother acknowledged that events like these take a large emotional toll on a family, especially siblings, and it’s important to make sure that they’re not forgotten about just because they’re healthy.
In addition to parties for the families affected, John also raises money to help underprivileged families with school. Back to school time can be difficult for many children whose families cannot afford new clothes or school supplies. Every child should have a chance to attend school and feel good about themselves. Studies have shown that many children do not attend the first day of school because they are too embarrassed that they do not have new supplies and clothing. New clothes and school supplies are all significant items for a child who would otherwise go without. The children will be given a profile page to fill out which will include: their name, age, sex, favorite color, clothing size, shoe size, what their preferences are as far as dresses or pants for girls and sportswear or plain clothes for boys. These children will be carefully selected through agencies and centers. The distribution will take place in late August or early September before their first day of school, to ensure that everything arrives before school starts. The children who have benefited from the donations in the past have made us realize there is a greater need out there and we are hoping to promote higher self-esteem as these children begin their new school year.
John also allocates the money he raises throughout the year to medical expenses. When a child has to battle against an awful disease such as cancer, the medical bills can end up skyrocketing for a family. John assists through the funds from his foundation to help the family as much as possible to make sure that they don’t have to worry about the price of medication and treatment, and can focus on being there for their child.
Why should you support the John Theissen Children’s Foundation? In 2017, JTCF almost had to close their doors after nearly three decades helping out our community due to a shortage of funds. We all got very lucky, as we managed to get enough funding to stay afloat. While we did manage to stay afloat, we don’t know what the future could hold, and it’s always a worry that we will one day have to actually close our doors for good. John wants to grow, he always wants to help more people and be able to put a smile on everyone’s face. To be able to have more financial support would allow JTCF to help more kids, from paying medical bills, to collecting toys, to providing school supplies, and much more. For me, John Thiessen and the John Theissen Children’s Foundation has become Wantagh. When you think of Wantagh, you probably think about Jones Beach. For us locals, when you think of Wantagh, you think of John Theissen, as he has really brought our whole community together. Losing the JTCF would be losing our town’s identity, and would make it exponentially harder for children who need help when they need it most.”
John has been able to help so many children and families because of one girl and her kindness to ask Santa for a Teddy Bear for “her friend upstairs.” Her selflessness has inspired John Theissen to help so many people and change their lives for the better. It can take as little as a Teddy Bear to save someone’s life, or for John, begin the next stage of his life.
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