One year ago, you helped place 500 JOY FM Prayer Bears into the arms of kids at Mercy Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
This year? We were invited back to bring 500 more!
When a Night Feels Scary
We had the chance to talk with Kelsey Mitchell, Certified Child Life Specialist at Mercy.
She shared when a child finds out they have to spend the night at the hospital, it can feel scary and uncertain. That’s where Mercy steps in with something special — a “sleepover bag” they’ve thoughtfully put together for kids who are staying overnight.
Kelsey told us the very first thing kids pull out — no matter their age — is the JOY FM Prayer Bear.
We Saw It With Our Own Eyes
When we delivered this new batch of bears, we had the opportunity to walk into hospital rooms and place them directly into kids’ hands and we got to see their faces light up!
Mercy has a phrase they live by: “It takes more than medicine to heal a child.”
You can feel that the moment you walk through their doors.
They care about the whole experience — the play areas, the way they love on families, even the Scripture on the walls. They are caring for the full 360° of what a family is walking through.
And these bears? They’re part of that care.
They’re a simple reminder:
You’re not alone.
People are praying for you.
There is a whole community standing with you.
This Is What Community Looks Like
There was another moment that made us smile.
Kelsey shared that a JOY FM listener actually called Mercy directly and donated money to help provide the rest of the items in those sleepover bags.
That’s community.
You may never meet the child who hugged one of those bears.
But because of you, these kids feel less alone.
A year later, 1,000 bears in, we can say this with confidence: God is using something small to make a big difference.
Thank you for making this possible!
