LOCAL CHEFS TO ‘PILE IT ON’ DURING ANNUAL COMFORT FOOD CLASSIC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                           

Contact: 

Andrew Dungan

(402) 502-2773; (402) 320-8759 (cell) 

Omaha, Neb. (Sept. 2,  2011) – Will they use a secret family recipe from Sicily, or perhaps a vegetarian twist?  Your taste buds will find out when some of Omaha’s top chefs showcase their gourmet lasagna dishes during the fifth annual Comfort Food Classic.  Crave the date—the cooking competition benefiting Ted E. Bear Hollow is scheduled for Sunday, October 2, 2011, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Ramada Plaza Omaha Hotel & Convention Center (72^nd & Grover).  KMTV’s Carol Wang will serve as emcee for the evening.  Event sponsors include: KMTV, Children's Hospital, V. Mertz and SKAR.  

During the event, chefs representing seven fabulous Omaha-area restaurants will prepare their interpretations of a classic comfort food, and those attending will vote to determine which chef's lasagna recipe is the tastiest. Besides tasting and voting for their favorite dish, attendees can enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and desserts, enter for a chance to win raffle prizes, and place bids on great items in the oral and silent auctions.  To register for the event, visit www.comfortfoodclassic.com, or call Ted. E. Bear Hollow at 402-502-2773.  Individual tickets, regular group and corporate tables, including sponsorship options, are available.

This year’s competing chefs work for some of Omaha’s favorite eateries including Big Mama’s Kitchen & Catering, The Grey Plume, New York Chicken & Gyros, The Old Mattress Factory, V. Mertz, Vivace and M’s Pub.  The winning chef will take home $500, a traveling trophy and bragging rights.

This year an added feature will be the debut of a new children’s grief book written by Julia Cook, an award winning author of children’s books.  “Grief is Life a Snowflake” will be read by the author who is sharing half her royalties with Ted E. Bear Hollow.

The 2010 competition, which featured meatloaf, raised more than $33,000 for Ted E. Bear Hollow, the metro area’s only center for grieving children and teens.  Those contributions help Ted E. Bear Hollow continue to provide a variety of grief support services for Omaha-area families. 

About Ted E. Bear Hollow

Ted E. Bear Hollow is a nonprofit organization that provides day camps, support groups and other services for grieving children, teens and their families.  Founded in 2001, the center has helped more than 5,000 metro-area families by giving them support, understanding and the skills to communicate and cope after the death of a loved one.  For more information on Ted E. Bear Hollow, or to donate directly, visit www.tedebearhollow.org.

For more information about Ted E. Bear Hollow or the Comfort Food Classic, contact our office at 402-502-2773 or visit www.comfortfoodclassic.com. 

Olive Garden Partnership

For Immediate Release:

October 27, 2010

Contact: Nancy Hemesath, Executive Director, Ted E. Bear Hollow  Olive Garden Selects Ted E. Bear Hollow for grant 

Olive Garden on 75^th and Dodge presented the staff of Ted E. Bear Hollow with a $1,000 check in recognition of their contribution to the community.  Mike Manion hosted staff and volunteers for a luncheon on January 12, 2010.  Each Olive Garden across the country was allotted $1,000 to support a local charity selected by the staff.  This gift was in addition to several meals provided by Olive Garden for families and volunteers attending grief support groups.

Ted E. Bear Hollow is a grief center for children, adolescents and their families. The organization was formed in 2001 to provide support grieving children after the death of a loved one.   In 2009, Ted E. Bear Hollow served 600 children and adolescents in one or more of their programs. For more information, contact Nancy Hemesath at 502-2773 or visit the website, www.tedebearhollow.org.

Jazz Great AND THREE-TIME GRAMMY® NOMINEE, Karrin Allyson, to Perform Benefit Concert

For Immediate Release:

Omaha, Nebraska (January 9, 2009) – Recent Grammy® nominee Karrin Allyson will perform a benefit concert in Omaha this June.  Allyson received her third career Grammy® nomination December for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “Imagina Songs of Brasil”. She will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2009, at Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Concert Hall. The concert is a benefit for two local non profit organizations, Hospice House and Ted E. Bear Hollow.

Born in Great Bend, Kan., Allyson grew up in Omaha, where her parents moved when she was six. She is a graduate of the music program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Now a resident of New York City, she travels the world performing in traditional jazz venues and also has appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.

For more information on Karrin Allyson visit www.karrin.com.

For tickets, call 402-502-2773 or visit  www.tedebearhollow.org. 

Ticket prices are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Sponsorships and patron packages are available and include a special reception with Karrin Allyson at the famous Storz Mansion following the concert.

Ted E. Bear Hollow and Hospice House will share proceeds from the concert.

Ted E. Bear Hollow provides emotional support, healing activities and coping skills for children, teens and families who have experienced the death of a family member or friend. Hospice House embraces residents living with terminal illness and their families and friends with compassionate care and comfort, and provides end-of-life education in the community.

Contact:

Nancy Hemesath
Executive Director
Ted E. Bear Hollow
402-502-2773
nhemesath@tedebearhollow.org

Gary George          
Executive Director
Hospice House
402-343-8600
gary.george@alegent.org

BearHUGS Campaign Announced

New BearHUGS Campaign to Support Grieving Children

Ted E. Bear Hollow begins new awareness campaign.

November 10, 2008 (Omaha, Neb.) - Once you see the miniature "play funeral" pieces in the Little Ones room, you realize you have come to a special and unique place. Using the little casket and headstones as props, a loving volunteer facilitator can explain to a four-year-old why they couldn't see Grandma's legs during the service. "No, they didn't remove her legs honey," the adult says, "they are just right under this flap, see?" It's just a normal day at Ted E. Bear Hollow, where a confused and grieving child can find answers and a safe place to cry, be angry, or just talk about what has happened.

Ted E. Bear Hollow has been around since 2001, when a group of caring professionals realized the needs of grieving children were not being met. Since then, the non-profit organization has worked with thousands of children and teenagers, helping them through personal crisis - like the loss of a parent, or through very public ones - like the Von Maur shootings just one year ago. Children aged three through eighteen take part in day camps, support groups, and teen retreats - all at no charge.

Now, Ted E. Bear Hollow is launching a new support and awareness campaign called BearHUGS (Help Us Give Support). The campaign will increase donor support and raise community awareness. Through BearHUGS, the entire community can participate in the process of helping grieving children through difficult circumstances.

Sadly, the Omaha/Council Bluffs area is already too familiar with community tragedy, but grief touches families every day. One in five children will experience the death of a family member. Statistics show that those children with unresolved grief are far more likely to commit crimes, abuse substances, or experience a teen pregnancy.

By generating community support for the financial needs of Ted E. Bear Hollow programs, the BearHUGS campaign will help volunteers as they continue to change the lives of grieving children every day. With help, Ted E. Bear Hollow will continue expanding to meet the growing need for services to support grieving families.

For more information on becoming a part of the BearHUGS program, please click on "Support Us."