Bears presented to Mayors and CAO’s at OBCM conference
Mayors of some of the biggest cities in Ontario converged at the new Rob Myers resort near Dealtown on Friday.
But before the Ontario’s Big City Mayors held their caucus, they had a special visit from a Ridgetown girl bearing gifts to the visiting dignitaries.
Amanda Brown made a personalized knitted bear for each Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer and presented them to the very appreciative guests before the start of the meeting.
Mayor Darrin Canniff approached Amanda at the Ridgetown Independent News office in late May with the idea that she would make special bears for the out-of-town guests.
“I’ve gotten to know Amanda over the years; she’s done some pretty amazing things,” said Canniff.
Canniff heard how Amanda had knitted thousands of hats for children in war-torn Ukraine through Loads of Love and how she began knitting teddy bears for charities in Chatham-Kent and kids in Ukraine.
Not only did the Mayor ask Amanda to make the bears, but he also wanted her to present them to the Mayors and CAOs in person.
“We wanted to make it a cool experience for her, too, to highlight all of the wonderful things she does for the community,” he said.
Canniff was given a Mayor Bear made especially for him by Amanda last June, a present he treasures very deeply.
And it was his Mayor Bear from Amanda that inspired his idea to present the visiting guests with bears.
“I was sitting there trying to think what I was going to do for them, and I saw the bear Amanda made for me,” Canniff said. “And it was like a light shone on the bear and said, ‘You have to do Mayor Bears.’”
Amanda presented the bears to the Mayors and CAOs and had her picture taken with the dignitaries. The mayors and CAOs who participated in the meeting virtually will be presented their bears at a future date.
It took Amanda five weeks to make the 60 bears, spending 8-9 hours a day on them. She normally made one bear a day, but she had to put it in high gear and make two a day to meet the quota.
Each bear is unique as they are made by hand on a little loom, so no two bears are alike. Amanda made them in different colours, but she says purple is her favourite colour.
“He gets a purple bear,” she said, referring to Mayor Canniff. “He is my friend.”
Last June, Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins paid Amanda a special visit when he was in Chatham for his statue unveiling.
Mayor Canniff had told Fergie about Amanda’s wonderful work for the community and they drove to the Independent News office to visit her. Fergie presented her with a limited bobblehead and autographed picture.
Fergie was amazed as he looked around the office to see the bears and hats Amanda had created.
“You made all these bears; that’s great!” he said.
Amanda reciprocated by giving Fergie a bear and a handmade hat, and he also was given a Winnie The Pooh for his grandson.
Ontario’s Big City Mayors consists of mayors of 29 single—and lower-tier cities with a population of 100,000 or more, who collectively represent nearly 70 percent of Ontario’s population.
The OBCM advocates for issues and policies important to Ontario’s largest cities.
Friday’s agenda included discussing municipal priorities such as housing and infrastructure for Ontario’s largest municipalities and updating their Health and Homelessness Strategy.
Canniff chose the new Myers’ resort on the former Gold property, which will soon be open for public rentals, to showcase Chatham-Kent’s beautiful Lake Erie coastline.
“Typically, we meet in a hotel or a council chamber,” Canniff said. “I wanted to provide the neighbours with a different experience that will make their visit to Chatham-Kent more memorable.”
Amanda’s amazing talent will also go a long way in bringing a smile to the faces of these dignitaries when they look at their Mayor and CAO Bears as a reminder of Chatham-Kent.
Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
