Heard of the Teddy Bear’s Hospital?
Alice Springs local – Maureen York, is a woman that has shared her heart of gold with her community through every Todd Mall Market since its inauguration in the late ‘80s. Maureen and her spark of hope made its way to Alice Springs after nursing in NSW in the 1960’s. Initially, she intended to travel to Broome but granted her love to Alice Springs instead.
Maureen’s days as the market stalwart saw her receiving a lot of teddies, thus an epiphany overcame her to turn her stall into a Teddy Bear’s Hospital. She has been spreading her spark of hope to people in need ever since.
Todd Mall Market is where she raises money in her Teddy Bear’s Hospital by exchanging the hand-made teddy bears and dolls she has produced or cured, for a donation to those who get overlooked by established charities. In her years as a Teddy Bear doctor, she has eased the pain and brought joy to many in hardship that have in one way or another passed through her life.
Maureen told the Alice Springs News of the scrapbook she has made that highlights the help she has given to her community. She told of a girl who lost everything in a fire. Maureen paid her body corporate fee for her unit for the next quarter.
On another occasion she and the Cancer Council granted the wish of a young amputee to be able to visit his dying mother in Alice Springs. It doesn’t stop there, she also raised money for a young girl who had cancer. The little girl later recovered and joined Maureen at a Teddy Bears Picnic, raising money to send three children to Dreamworld. Their mother had died of cancer.
This is what Maureen does, putting into perspective just how special her stall is – than just a place to go buy something.
“So that’s what I do with my money,” she told Alice Springs News.
At AUZi we speak with amazing stall holders every day, though Maureen’s selfless contribution she has made to her community for so many years touched our hearts. Our team have decided to give Maureen a small taste of her own warm-heart by contributing to her insurance for the next year.
We encourage you to all go and check out Maureen’s Teddy Bear Hospital and see just how much of a good cause her stall really is.
