When Danielle Rivera leaves for Italy during her fourth year of college, she is certain her mother will send her off with suitcases full of teddy bears.

Danielle's mother, Michele Rivera (graduate-nondegree), agreed. In fact, the whole family has been shipping old and new stuffed animals around the world for the past three years.

Michele Rivera, president of the non-profit corporation Artistic Horizon, 219 S. Patterson St., started an organization called Bears That Care in 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The annual drive, intended to benefit children in crisis, began Sunday at eight different State College locations and is seeking volunteers to be a part of the program.

"I remember seeing in the news one time about people collecting bears for these children," Michele Rivera said, adding that this was all the inspiration she needed to begin helping.

Because of the success with bear donations, Michele Rivera decided not to limit Bears That Care to annual drives.

"We do it year-round," she said. "By the end of this year, we're going to be delivering close to 8,000 bears."

Bears That Care has reached children all over the world. Stuffed animals have been distributed to Puerto Rico, Argentina, Ecuador, Germany, Kosovo, Iraq and South Africa.

Although Michele Rivera has run the program for the past three years virtually on her own, with some help from her family, she appreciates any help she can get.

Currently, more individuals are needed to support Bears That Care with stuffed animal and/or financial donations, as well as writing personalized note cards for each toy that is sent out.

Danielle Rivera (freshman-architecture) volunteers her time to help her mother with the task.

"Usually, there's a shortage of notes," she said.

Michele Rivera agreed with her daughter and added that the family has stayed up late at night on more than one occasion writing these notes.

"People ask me a lot, 'Why don't you just type them up on the computer?' And I say 'Would you like to be the child that gets a computer-generated card?' It's very impersonal," she said.

However, assistance in writing these notes, Michele Rivera said, is not the only aid needed.

"We do, on and off, get volunteers and people to help ... but with this Christmas drive, we're looking for people to take toys out and deliver them," she said.

Kathy St. Martin, owner of Isabelle's Bead Shoppe, 109 S. Pugh St., designated her store as one of the drop-off locations for the bear drive.

For each sale more than $25, St. Martin will donate $1 to the Bears That Care shipping fund.

"I want to be someone who will financially help through my customers," she said.

Although this is the first year Isabelle's has been a part of the program, St. Martin has worked with Rivera in the past.

Wendy Duran, State College YMCA program director, witnessed an outpouring of support during last year's bear drive. "There were wall-to-wall bags of bears," she said.

The State College YMCA is listed as a drop-off location again this year.

Duran was eager to help again after last year's success.

"It's a great way to participate in the program," she said.

Although being in charge of Bears That Care is time consuming, Michele Rivera plans on continuing the program and has made it a part of her life.

"Just when I think I'm tired and I need to back off of it, a zinger of a drive will come in," she said. "Even wherever we go on vacation, we try to drop off bears at different places and as my husband likes to say, 'Leave a little bear and leave a little love behind.' "