Our chapter was excited to welcome our guest speaker Ken Toren, CEO of American Red Cross of the Silicon Valley to our ALSJ General Meeting on February 15. We were thrilled to hear stories about how our 🐻 Hug-a-Bears offered comfort to children after the recent storms and fire disasters. “These children, who had been yanked from their homes because of the storms, were waking up in a strange place without any of their toys or belongings. It was amazing to see the smiles on their faces when we brought them your soft, cuddly bears, something they could wrap their arms around and cling to,” he said. Ken also shared the many amazing humanitarian efforts of the American Red Cross in Santa Clara County including Disaster Relief, the Home Fire Campaign, International Services, Preparedness and their Blood Drives. We are fortunate to have The American Red Cross as a Hug-a-Bear partner.