Campbell Remess

Bears: A Bridge to Kindness

by Pam North

While most moms are trying to get their kids to play less with their video games, Sonya Whittaker often has to encourage her son to take more time for himself for a little fun, but then most sons are not like hers; he would rather sneak off to his workshop and sew. Campbell Remess. at 13 years of age, devotes nearly all of his spare time to making bears, puzzles, and games for children in hospitals. He has managed to launch a successful nonprofit charity endeavor called Project 365 in Hobart, Tasmania, located 240 km (150mi) to the south of the Australian mainland.
When Campbell was 9, he asked his mum, Sonya Whitaker, if he could buy Christmas presents for kids in the hospital. With the tight budget restraints of rearing nine children in their large family, Sonya felt that it would cost too much, and gently nixed his idea. Determined to pursue his plan, Campbell decided to make the gifts himself, and that he would make one present a day, 365 days a year, and give them all away. He now is in the fourth year of his project, and he absolutely loves doing it. He also makes special bears to auction for fundraising for young cancer patients and cancer research. So far, for 2017, Campbell has kept up with his quota of gifts, and has raised over $100,000 for his project.
Campbell is self-taught in his craft of making bears. He had asked to use Sonya’s sewing machine, a request she allowed, thinking he probably would lose interest after awhile. Sonya explained, “Campbell taught himself to sew. He was 9 years old when he made his first bear. It was crude, with its ears and legs going all the wrong directions, but yet it still was amazing.” He soon figured out how to use a pattern, kept practicing, and with each toy he became faster and more skilled; now he can make a bear in an hour. “He has made over 1200 bears to give to sick children,” Sonya continued, “and he does a lot of public speaking about his project and the simplicity and importance of being kind. He speaks at schools all over the world, and he has traveled as far away as China, spreading his simple but heartfelt message. As a child, he is someone quite extraordinary. He sees the world differently than most, and I hope his message continues to spread far and wide. He has taught me, as an adult, valuable lessons, and I hope others learn to see the world the way he does. He’s just wired differently than most. I see only bigger and brighter things for him.” Sonya is glad that she allowed Campbell to pursue his dream, saying, “One small idea, one small gesture can make a huge impact.”
Sonya calls Campbell’s bear-making style “funky”. He relies on donations of money and materials to make his stuffed animals, and loves to use shaggy, bright-colored fabrics in unique ways, giving his creations their own quirky personalities. He stuffs them with soft fiberfill, and often customizes each toy with the child’s name on one of the hind paws.
Sonya tries to normalize his life as much as possible, stressing rules that he has to tend first to responsibilities (chores, homework, and his fire training), and then his "want-to things" afterward, so his project has to take its place around everything else. Because he places so much importance on his project, it is crucial that she helps him maintain balance in his life. “If Campbell could be on that sewing machine 24/7, he would,” Sonya remarked. Campbell wants to become a firefighter when he grows up.
The bears and other gifts are delivered to local hospitals, usually by Campbell personally, and some are shipped overseas to comfort those dealing with grief, such the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. He also has special P365 Kindness Cruises, to provide cruises for children that have undergone and completed chemotherapy or other treatments, so that they can start a new chapter in their lives with a little fun and relaxation. 
Campbell’s message is very simple: “Being kind, and not mean, will change the world a lot. I love passing my bears over to others; it doesn't fix all the problems, but it makes people forget about their problems and smile for a minute.”
On Campbell’s website, there are several options for donors who wish to participate in his charity: to request a bear for someone; to sponsor a Christmas bear; to nominate someone for a Kindness Cruise; to make donations of money or materials for his stuffed toys. There are so many requests through his website for his bears that his mother has to ration them out to him so that he isn’t overwhelmed. “Campbell’s a child, not a factory,” she explained. The Facebook website, called Project 365 by Campbell, was set up by Sonya to track his project, and it has a loyal group of followers. One member, had asked Campbell’s mom if he needed fabric, which he didn’t at that time, but he did need storage space, so an online fundraiser was quickly set up that netted $1000 in just a few hours to buy a workbench and storage units to help Campbell get better organized in his endeavors. A team of volunteers transformed his bedroom into a workroom while he was at school.
When asked how long she thought Campbell might continue with his project, Sonya replied, “As long as he wants; my child  belongs to the world.” 
While the Tasmanian devil is a mammal in this island state of Australia, Tasmania has its own dedicated angel as well, working to brighten the lives of sick and sad children.

Contact Information:
PO Box 2111, HOWRAH TAS 7018
Phone: 011 61 497 001 692
Websites  www.project365bycampbell.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/project365bycampbell
https://project365.org/  
PayPal Address: https://paypal.me/project365bycampbell