When a young Tennessee girl’s teddy bear was accidentally donated and sold at a local Goodwill, she lost more than just a favorite stuffed animal. It was also a reminder of her late mother. Now, their community is coming together to try and help.
Tylor Kennedy said that after the death of his 4-year-old daughter’s mom, the child received a very special Build-a-Bear from her grandma, according to ABC affiliate WATE-TV.
“Her grandma made her [a] bear with her mom’s heartbeat in it,” Kennedy told the outlet, sharing that you can hear the sound when you squeeze the tie-dyed rainbow bear’s paw.
Unfortunately, that bear somehow got inside a bag of donations he recently dropped off at a Goodwill store in Tazewell.
“They didn’t realize it was in there until they went to get the bear,” Cindy Dodson, a representative for Goodwill Industries-Knoxville, tells PEOPLE. “And it had already been sold by the time they came back to the store to see if it was there.”
“When items come in, our staff automatically want to get them out on the floor,” says Dodson, who adds that unfortunately, employees have “no way of knowing if an item was donated by mistake or if it had a sentimental value.”
As for why the stuffed animal sold so quickly, that’s likely because it was from Build-A-Bear.
“Build-a-Bears are so recognizable,” says the rep. “If you see a Build-a-Bear at a thrift store, a lot of people will grab it. They’re one of a kind.”
Now, they’re just hoping the story has a happy ending.
“Our heart breaks for the family,” adds the rep. “We have a sign on our door as well for customers, making them aware and doing everything that we can to try to help that family find the bear.”
The sign, which was posted on social media by local radio station WRIL, states that the bear “is the only thing” the four-year-old has of her mother, and includes a hand-written note about how she “really wants it back.”
“PLEASE if you have it, return to this store so we can reunite them,” reads the notice.
Additionally, the girl’s grandmother shared a video of the actual lost bear with the station, so that anybody searching for it would know what to look (and listen) for.
So far, Goodwill has received many messages from people calling to say they hope the bear is found.
“I can tell you, there’s a reason we’re called the Volunteer State,” says Dodson. “Everybody rallies around to try to help. There are no strangers whenever something comes up. Everybody wants to try to help.”
If returned, the person will be reimbursed for the purchase.
The girl’s father is joining Goodwill in asking whoever purchased it to turn it into the store.
“Please, if y’all find it or see anybody that has one, just check or turn it [in],” he told WATE-TV.
As of Monday, Build-A-Bear Workshop also shared the story on their Facebook page, writing, “Let’s help find this bear!”
