A frenzy of fur and fuzz as the Teddy Bears' Picnic makes its return

A cavalcade of teddy bears and the kids who love them made a comeback to Assiniboine Park Sunday.

The spectacle of stuffies marked the return of the Teddy Bears' Picnic, the beloved Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba (CHFM) fundraiser that  has not been held since the pandemic.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
• Sign up now for daily CTV News Winnipeg newsletters

The event kicked off with a major fundraising milestone; over $86 million was raised as part of the Better Futures Campaign to support kids' needs.

The campaign began five years ago and set a goal of $75 million.

"While we want to take a moment today to celebrate, we must acknowledge our work is far from done," said Stefano Grande, president and CEO of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

"As we speak, there's still millions and millions of dollars of needs that our hospital and research institute have asked for, so this is just the beginning of the transformation."

Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba staff and volunteers pose as they announce a new fundraising milestone at the Teddy Bears' Picnic on Sept. 8, 2024. (Alexandra Holyk/CTV News Winnipeg)

Ninety per cent of the money raised has already gone towards various initiatives, including the Travis Price Children's Heart Centre.

There are also plans to open up an Indigenous community healing space to provide out-of-town families with a safe place when they are receiving care away from home.

The foundation's 2024 Champion Child Janessa Dumas Colomb knows first-hand how this space can help families in need.

The 15-year-old battled Stage 4 kidney disease, which meant her family moved 800 kilometres from Pukatawagan to Winnipeg so she could receive the care she needed.

After support from a pediatric nephrology specialist at HSC's Children's Hospital and a successful kidney transplant in 2020, Janessa is healthy and back home with family and friends.

CHFM's 2024 Champion Child Janessa Dumas Colomb speaks at the Teddy Bears' Picnic on Sept. 8, 2024. (Alexandra Holyk/CTV News Winnipeg)

"As Manitoba's Champion Child for 2024 and the first from a remote northern First Nations community, I want all kids who need the Children's Hospital to get the care they need like I did," she said in a speech at Sunday's picnic.

The festivities also featured games and crafts for the whole family -- along with the Doctor Goodbear Clinic for sick stuffies.

Visitors also got the chance to enjoy a pancake breakfast and entertainment on stage and at tents scattered throughout the field.

- With files from CTV’s Alexandra Holyk

A face mask-clad bear receives oxygen at the Doctor Goodbear Clinic at the Teddy Bears' Picnic at Assiniboine Park on Sept 8, 2024. (Alexandra Holyk/CTV News Winnipeg)