A 12-year-old boy named Campbell Remess has one thing that sets him apart from other kids his age. While they’re all playing in the yard or at home playing video games, Campbell sits alone in front of a sewing machine.
The 12-year-old is busy sewing teddy bears to donate to a children’s hospital in and around his hometown of Hobart, Tasmania. When Campbell was nine years old, he asked his parents to buy Christmas gifts for sick and hospitalized children.
Nathan and Sonya Remess thought it was a great idea but couldn’t afford it: Campbell is one of nine children from a modest family. Undaunted, Campbell decided to find a solution: he would make the toys himself.
Campbell decided to make his own gifts for the children. Now, three years later, 12-year-old Campbell can be found every day at work making his own custom “funky bears.” On average, 1 bear per day, each of which is handmade and hand-sewn all by himself.
His mother, Sonya Whittaker, fondly remembers when her son first asked her to use her sewing machine. She had figured that he’d start, get bored, and soon quiet, but 3 years later, she’s overjoyed to be wrong.
Called Project 365, Campbell aims to make 1 teddy bear per day, for a total of 365 per year. Campbell’s first gift projects were jingling balls, but now he likes to make the most are stuffed animals ranging from teddy bears to lop-eared bunnies. At first, it took him five hours to make a bear, now he does it in a flat hour.
Each animal’s leg is marked on the thread with “P365” to show the love with which it was made. Campbell raised about $ 26,000 and counting for people with cancer by auctioning off his teddy bears.
What a little wise man! If we had more real-life superheroes like Campbell, I’m sure the planet would be a much better place to live.
