"Project Teddy Bear" Auctions Raise Funds and Hope for Breast Cancer Research

New York, NY (September 2, 2005) - Spirited Lisa Spodak, 35, began participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer three years ago as an act of gratitude after her mother, stepmother and cousin were all diagnosed with and successfully treated for the killer disease. In 2002 she raised an impressive $4,400 and the following year increased her contribution to $7,800 thanks to sponsorships from family and friends.

With each step she took and every mile she logged, her drive to help eradicate breast cancer compelled her to do more, much more.

In 2004 she set for herself a goal to raise $10,000. In order to supplement the generous sponsorships that she didn't want to take for granted, she came up with a new spin on an existing fundraiser: the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade Bears.

Lisa, who lives in New York City where celebrity sightings are an everyday occurrence, hit on the idea of investing in an allotment of the cuddly brown bears (an initial $4 donation each) then asking stars to autograph and pose for a photo with them, which she would then auction off online for a minimum bid of $25.

"Project Teddy Bear" was born and as a result Lisa surpassed her goal by raising $15,000. This year she plans to raise an ambitious $25,000, again with the help of the bear auctions. Having collected over 100 celebrity autographs for her bears this year, Lisa is rolling out her auctions in phases on Yahoo! Auctions, a site she chose based on its no-fee policy thus ensuring every penny goes to charity.

Her first auction this year, which ran from August 23-30, raised over $1,000. The next wave of bear auctions will go live on September 7, at http://user.auctions.yahoo.com/user/lisaspoavonwalk.

A partial list of celebrities that have jumped on Lisa's bandwagon in 2005 include Sean Astin (sold! $86), Elvis Costello (Sold! $56.55), Jeff Goldblum, Scott Hamilton, Selma Hayek, Ethan Hawke, James Earl Jones (Sold! $41.00), George Lopez, Regis Philbin, David Hyde Pierce, Julia Roberts, Richard Simmons, Christian Slater, They Might Be Giants (Sold! $101.15), Kathleen Turner, Denzel Washington, Signourney Weaver and Bradley Whitford (Sold! $177.50).

Through trial and error Lisa learned that the bears themselves were difficult to sign cleanly so she came up with an alternative by printing up Pink Ribbon decorated cards that read "Thank you for your donation to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer." Armed with bears, black Sharpie pens and a handful of cards, Lisa hit the streets of Manhattan and was not disappointed in the response she got when approaching the stars.

"For the most part, people are open to the idea, take time to listen to my story and are happy to participate," she explained, noting that just about everyone she talks to, star or civilian, has been touched in one way or another by breast cancer. She chalks up the few times she ran into resistance to people having an understandably off-day, a performance they weren't pleased with or having been burned in the past by autograph hounds who sell their signatures for personal profit.

But her persistence, not to mention megawatt smile and matching enthusiasm, has ultimately and consistently paid off. "No one has ever turned me down for at least an autograph," she said with a note of thankfulness in her voice. "They've said no to the photo, but, never to signing."

Besides random meetings on the street, Lisa, who is an avid theatergoer, takes her bears to Broadway to get autographs at stage doors. Her first effort, getting Tony-winning star of "The Boy From Oz" Hugh Jackman, netted the highest final bid for one bear in 2004, a whopping $400.

Besides raising money, Lisa's having a lot of fun with "Project Teddy Bear." "I wanted to do something unique and that I would enjoy spending a lot time on," she said. While meeting celebrities does afford her personal thrills from time to time, it's the positive reactions that she gets that help to fuel her ambition to defeat breast cancer through this project.

One night she was waiting for a table at an Upper West Side restaurant when she spotted actor Mandy Patinkin, a prostate cancer survivor himself, leaving after his meal. She followed him outside with her bear wares and after he teased her for "stalking him" he told her that he related to her efforts because he was about to participate in a bicycle tour in Israel to raise funds for and awareness about the environment. After signing her bear and posing for a picture, he pulled $20 out of his wallet to become an individual sponsor of her next walk.

Another memorable meeting occurred when she saw actor Matt Damon walking down the street. "You have to always be prepared," Lisa said, noting that she hardly ever leaves her apartment without her supplies, and this time was no exception.

Admittedly not a star-struck fan of Damon per se, she knew that his heartthrob appeal would probably fetch lots of bids so she stopped him. Damon was so charming and accommodating toward her that she walked away with a new appreciation for not only his star quality, but also for him personally as a human being. Damon's bear recently sold for $125.50.

There have been times when she wasn't prepared and got inadvertently caught off-guard. One morning, during a quick jaunt from her apartment to a deli across the street, sporting pajamas and baring no bears, she missed an opportunity to catch Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Roth. Another time, walking home late one night with cards but no bear, she crossed paths with singer Cyndi Lauper who obliged an autograph request just the same. Lauper's bear also recently sold, for $54.53.

Then there is the case of one actor helping her get access to another. An early star to sign a bear was actor Peter Scolari, who was starring on Broadway with Eric Stoltz in "Sly Fox" at the time. Lisa had met Scolari at the stage door but missed Stoltz. A second attempt yielded an autograph from star Richard Dreyfuss and even the late Jerry Orbach, who was visiting at the time, but, still no Stoltz.

Lisa chatted with Scolari again and expressed her disappointment at missing Stoltz, and Scolari promised to try to help. When she showed up a few weeks later to see the show, Scolari made special arrangements for her to come backstage where he personally introduced her to Stoltz who gladly participated. A friend won the auction for Eric Stoltz's bear (which sold for $51.25) and then gave it to Lisa to keep.

Besides the bear auctions, Lisa plans to meet her $25,000 goal by participating in all eight Avon Walks nationwide. She's already completed Charlotte, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco with Los Angeles and New York left to go.

Additionally, she has partnered with New York eatery Fred's (476 Amsterdam Ave.) for a series of fundraisers including a special event on September 12 where she will guest bartend with all her tips going to the cause. Fred's also donates to her fund-raising 5% of any patron's tab when they mention her name or the Avon Walks during the course of the events, which run from April to October.

Lisa has also created a line of t-shirts with various anti-breast cancer slogans through Café Press which may be purchased for a donation through on her website: http://www.lisawalks.com.

"I couldn't do this without the love, support and assistance of my friends and family," Lisa emphasized. "I have an incredible network of people who help me not only by making generous donations themselves, but, by getting autographs and by adopting individual bears that they then promote among fans of that star online on user groups and blogs. Their dedication is completely amazing and it would be impossible to do all of this without them," she said.

To bid on bears beginning September 7, please go to: http://user.auctions.yahoo.com/user/lisaspoavonwalk.