- 17 years ago Keith Urban fans began collecting stuffed monkey in his name to bring smiles to children in hospitals
- This year, over 6,900 animals were collected across 3 countries, and 39 states
- One fan Rebekah Russell runs a collection house for the fans to donate to
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Wednesday morning, 601 stuffed animals were donated to the University of Michigan Health at Sparrow Children's Center.
This was made possible by Keith Urban fans celebrating the 17th year of the Monkeys and Mates Stuffed Animal Drive.
The fans run collections in 39 states and 3 countries, all giving stuffed animals away to ensure that every child has a friend. One fan, Rebekah Russell runs a collection house, and brought the animals to Sparrow Children's Center on Valentine's Day.
"It's one of those things where your child is in the hospital, they're not very happy. Little things like that, getting a stuffed animal, does make them smile and makes being in the hospital a little bit easier," said Russell.
With over 6,800 stuffed animals collected across 3 countries, the drive says they want to aim higher year after year.
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