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Carolyn Arrington, left, and Paula Avery of the Jemison Crafters helped create 350 teddy bears to be handed out around the world this Christmas. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

The 350 teddy bears are handmade and hand stuffed. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Christmas teddy bears are some of the numerous different designs going out to children this holiday season. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

Beau Moody, left, Ronald Ceay, Timothy Chandler and Michael Verciglio will help hand out the teddy bears to children both locally and internationally. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

More teddy bears that the Jemison Crafters created. (CAREY REEDER | ADVERTISER)

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Carolyn Arrington has become known as The Teddy Bear Lady in the Jemison community by creating lovable stuffed animals that are cherished for years by those who are lucky to receive one. Now, Arrington has completed a project with the help of the Jemison Crafters to send 350 teddy bears out to people in Chilton County, the United States and around the world this holiday season.

Arrington has been an avid teddy bear maker for around 20 years, and the passion was found one day when she saw a teddy bear kit in the store and decided to try the craft. Also known as Momma C, Arrington made teddy bears for missions and to just give back.

One of the ministries she became partners with was Beau Moody’s Ministry, a ministry that visits South America spreading the word of God. When the Jemison Public Library created the Jemison Crafters group, Arrington jumped at the opportunity to share her love of crafts with others in the community — and she was able to combine to two great groups and create a blossoming partnership.

“I have done numerous bears on my own, and then when I joined the Jemison Crafters, I told them about Beau Moody’s ministry and they decided they would help me make these bears,” Arrington said.

The Jemison Crafters is a program put on through the Jemison Public Library that meets once a week to have arts and crafts time at Studio J in Jemison. Cheryl English with the Jemison Public Library helped create the program that is going strong now in its third year. The group made crocheted hats for Beau Moody’s Ministry to take to Peru in the beginning, and now on his 24th trip to Peru, he will have tens of handmade teddy bears to pass out to children.

“The average child where we go do not know what toys are because everywhere over there is very poverty stricken,” Moody said. “Most of them are working in the fields with their parents by the time they are seven or eight years old … When they get something like this that is actually handmade, they love it, and it is very precious to them. That is something they will carry with them until it wears out.”

Arrington and the Jemison Crafters make the bears out of fabrics that were donated to the group at Studio J. The bears are then stuffed, and rhinestones are placed for the face. Each bear takes about 45 minutes to make, and the group started the project all the way back in July to get them completed before Thanksgiving.

“I know what it is like — I was raised an only child, and I know the comfort bears can bring,” Arrington said. “It is just a passion for me, I love doing it and it gives me so much joy when I hand a child, a senior citizen or anyone a bear and they just love them. It fills my heart with joy.”

Other places the teddy bears will be sent include hospitals in Venezuela, Operation Christmas Child to children around the world and the angel trees in local communities. Arrington added that if anyone sees a mission or group where the Jemison Crafters can be of assistance or can help, please contact the group.

“It is a great blessing to know that God put on Momma C’s heart to love my ministry as much as I do, and for them to spend the kind of time it takes, because these are all hand sewn and stuffed,” Moody said. “The time it takes tells you that she loves what she is doing, she loves the ministry and this is my favorite time of the year when they call me and tell me the teddy bears are ready, because I know the hard work that went into it.”

Anyone who wants to explore more of what Beau Moody’s Ministry does in the world is encouraged to visit www.beaumo.org.

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