Bears Who Care: A Book, Bear & Heart to Share

Last Updated on January 29, 2024

Update as of 1.20.24: It’s with an extremely heavy heart to share that Kari Kron Schmitz, who co-founded Bears Who Care with her husband Tad, passed away from Leptomeningeal Disease, a rare cancer, on 1.20.24.

Kari’s family and close friends are very appreciative to everyone who kept Kari in their prayers and/or donated to her GoFundMe campaign or Bears Who Care.

If you would like to make a donation to Bears Who Care in honor of Kari, you may do so on the Bears Who Care website.

Kari Kron + Melanie Lentz-Bal in Vegas 2001 — Kari and Melanie in Las Vegas 2001

Kari was only 57-years-old. Full disclosure: She has been one of my closest friends for 25+ years. She was a bright light in the world and one of the kindest humans you’ll ever meet.

Kari Kron Schmitz and daughter Gwen at the 2023 OktoBEARfest — Kari with daughter Gwen at 2023 OktoBEARfest

Please keep Kari, Tad, Gwen and her extended family and friends in your prayers.

Tad and Kari Schmitz at 2023 OktoBEARfest

If you’d like to read about Kari’s journey, she has a CaringBridge page.

We love you, Kari (aka., Kare Bear, KMA).

Bears Who Care

Bears Who Care provides comfort and promotes literacy to children by giving them teddy bears and books.

The 501(3)c organization is designed to help children in need between the ages of one and 12 years old.

Whether the child’s hardship is an illness, injury, or financial difficulty, the goal is the same -– to engage their imaginations, temporarily relieve pain and bring them comfort.

Table of Contents

Remembering Co-Founder Kari Kron Schmitz

In addition to co-founding Bears Who Care, Kari Kron Schmitz worked in brand marketing, promotions, corporate partnerships, and public relations.

She graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a master’s degree in Speech Communication and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication.

For over 30 years, she has been a Marketing Manager at top companies, including The Walt Disney Company, Universal Orlando Resort, and Rollerblade, Inc.,

Kari Kron Schmitz and Rick Springfield in Malibu — Source: Yellow Rick Road Productions

She was a Co-Executive Producer on the award-winning Rick Springfield and Fans feature documentary, “An Affair of the Heart.”

Kari was also fluent in German, held a Florida real estate license, and was an associate course director at Full Sail University.

Kari Kron Schmitz with her books and bears

We sat down with Kari Kron-Schmitz to gain more insights about her organization and the annual OktoBEARfest Fun Run & Walk event.

Bears Who Care is a 100% volunteer, 501c3 Charitable Organization based in Central Florida.

Here’s what Kari shared with us during a one-on-one interview.

What is the inspiration behind Bears Who Care?

Kari and Tad Schmitz the founders of Bears Who Care — Source: Bears Who Care

My husband, Tad, and I are very entrepreneurial by nature. We wanted to channel that into giving back to others. Tad’s folks also inspired us, as they run a very successful charity in Illinois.

The Kron Schmitz Family of Bears Who Care in 2023 — Photo Source: Bears Who Care

My parents were educators (my mother was a reading specialist), and Tad’s grandfather’s name was Teddy. We combined two ways to bring comfort to children: teddy bears and books.

Kari Kron-Schmitz reading to a classroom of students

We officially started Bears Who Care with 50 teddy bears and 50 books in 2008.

It has grown organically to where we’ve distributed teddy bears and books to over 25,000 children through schools, hospitals, churches, and more.

Why Did You Start a 5K Fun Run?

A few successful private events were hosted in the evenings, primarily for adults, as our initial fundraising efforts.

Now that we have a daughter, we decided to change our approach and create a family-focused event that encourages health (we are a “running” family) and gives us a way to embrace our community.

OktoBEARfest Family participating in 5k Run and Walk — Source: Bears Who Care

We now invite people from all over the world to participate in the fun with the option to participate virtually.

Kari and Tad Schmitz and sponsors Abbotts Frozen Custard — Source: Bears Who Care

OktoBEARFest is based on an annual party we used to have at home to celebrate our German heritage, so why not bring it back to life significantly and invite everyone to join the fun?

The 6th Annual OctoBEARFest 5K Fun Run & Walk in Winter Garden was October 22, 2023.

Has Anything Surprised You About Starting a Charity and Planning an Annual 5K Event?

Bears Who Care Volunteers for 5K Fun Run and Walk — Source: Bears Who Care

Fortunately, I have a cousin who hosts his own 5K in Virginia Beach, so he gave us a solid understanding of all that is involved.

With this type of event – even one that’s virtual – there are lots of details to manage. We’ve quickly had to learn how to divide, conquer and delegate, since we can’t do everything ourselves.

Photo of two women from Bears Who Care with bags of teddy bears

Volunteers are critical to the success of everything we do, whether it’s OktoBEARfest, doing distributions at school, and spreading the word about the organization. We are very grateful to them!

Photo of a classroom with Bears Who Care teddy bears

One of the surprises during the pandemic was making sure people understand what a virtual event was, as the concept was still pretty new.

Basically, you were given the same “goodies” you usually get with a 5K, like the finisher medal, t-shirt, and goody bag.

You just completed the distance at your own pace and whatever location you want – your neighborhood, a treadmill, etc.

Best of all, a significant portion of your registration fee went directly to Bears Who Care and helped provide new teddy bears and books to disadvantaged children.

What Should the Participants Expect?

OktoBEARfest 5K Run Walk video by Authentic Florida

First and foremost, everyone has a great time! All 5K participants receive a finisher’s medal, OktoBEARfest t-shirt, a goody bag, a certificate (shipping is available).

There’s also a 1K run for children, which gives the kiddos a finisher medal and goody bag.

Bailey the Official Bears Who Care Teddy Bear

You can also add an official Bears Who Care teddy bear, Bailey, to your registration, which, in turn, provides teddy bears and books to three children.

2023 Bears Who Care OktoBEARfest route map — Source: Bears Who Care

When we have details on the 2024 event, we will update this article.

Soap Stars Support Bears Who Care

Eric Martsolf at finish line of 2022 Bears Who Care 5K booth — Photo credit: Horizon West Happenings

In 2022, a special celebrity guest appeared at the OktoBEARfest 5K Fun Run & Walk: Emmy award-winning actor Eric Martsolf and star of the popular NBC daytime drama, “Days of our Lives!”