Bear Affair ––

Albert Management is pleased to announce results of the 2018 Bear Affair, a unique holiday toy drive to benefit a local children's charity. In lieu of a traditional company holiday party, Albert Management purchased 100 teddy bears and called on business partners, customers, employees, friends and family to help dress the bears and outfit them with new toys to donate to a local charity. Nearly $18,000 in new toys and teddy bears were donated to The Narrow Door's Coachella Valley Christmas Store as a result of the effort.

“Our employees, customers and business partners all understand the responsibility of giving back to the community," said Lori Albert, President & CEO of Albert Management. “By joining together, we can make a significant difference for the children and families served by The Narrow Door."

Response to the call for help was overwhelming with all of the bears checked out to eagerly awaiting participants in the first two weeks of the program. Bears were dressed for the charity as Santa's helpers, ice skaters, surfers, disk jockeys, characters from the movie GREASE and many other creative displays.

The response and excitement generated by the unique toy drive carried over to a Breakfast with the Bears Party for all those who participated at the Desert Falls Country Club on Saturday, December 1. All 100 dressed bears were on display at the party and prizes were awarded. NPG Nelson Paving won in the Best Dressed category for Ice Skating Bears, Trish Forte took home the Most Creative award for the Mommager Bear, and Vantage Point Construction swept the category for Bear Extraordinaire with their Dry Gulch.

Over 40 local businesses participated in the effort including banks, attorneys, landscape maintenance companies, homeowner associations, construction and remodel contractors, asphalt companies, security service providers, insurance agents, pest control companies, realtors, CPA's and even personal trainers.

Corporate sponsors of the 2018 Bear Affair include AIC, Asphalt MD's, Empire Works, Epsten Grinnell & Howell, Fiore Racobs & Powers, Grandmark Landscape, Green Bryant & French, Horizon Lighting, Nelson Paving Group, Pacific Western Bank, Peters & Freedman, Powerful Pest Management, Prendiville Insurance Agency, RAM Roofing, Securitas Security Services, Sign-O-Rama, Tinnelly Law Group, Vantage Point Construction and Vista Paint.

Since 2004 The Coachella Valley Christmas Store has provided needy families with FREE gifts and food during the Christmas season. They are able to make this happen with the help of a generous community. It takes many volunteers and thousands of toys in order to serve these families. The gifts are sorted into age appropriate rooms where the parents can shop from while their children enjoy some crafting, board games and stories in the childcare area.

For more information about The Narrow Door please visit their website at www.thenarrowdoor.org or send an email to .