"One person can make a difference and every person should try."
The Huggable Heroes are rewarded with a grand prize that includes an educational scholarship, a donation to a charity of their choice, and a mentoring scholarship to encourage the growth of their charitable endeavors. They will also receive a trip to St. Louis, home of Build-A-Bear Workshop World Bearquarters, where they will be celebrated for their work, participate in a Jefferson Awards GLOBECHANGERS BOOTCAMP session, take part in a day of service, and have their photos taken to potentially be featured in the Build-A-Bear Workshop 2014 calendar.
Since the company first launched the program in 2004, more than 100 Huggable Heroes have been recognized and collectively awarded nearly one million dollars in donations and scholarships. As a group, the Huggable Heroes have raised more than $9.4 million, have collected more than 316 million items to donate and recruited thousands of volunteers to extend their efforts.
Build-A-Bear Workshop will honor 80 semifinalists in March and 30 finalists in May. In early June the 10 selected young people will be named 2013 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes.
"We are excited to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Huggable Heroes program and to continue to learn about all of our Guests who are youth leaders," said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. "As we get ready to move into the semifinalist phase of the program, we are confident that we will discover, as we do each year, a wonderful group of kids doing inspiring, meaningful work."
To read the stories about past Huggable Heroes, and learn more about the program, visit buildabear.com/huggableheroes.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. There are more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Mexico and South America. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop is the leader in interactive retail. Brands include make-your-own Major League Baseball® mascot in-stadium locations, and Build-A-Dino® stores. Build-A-Bear Workshop extends its in-store interactive experience online with its award winning virtual world Web site at bearville.com®. The company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for the fifth year in a row in 2012. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $380.9 million in fiscal 2012. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning Web site at buildabear.com®.
