05/19/2026
Join Our 3-Month NSGC Rally: 150 Rare Bears for Children with Rare Disease
Dear Rare Bear Army Family (calling all sewists),
Today, we are launching a special 3-month Rare Bear Rally — a collective mission to create 150 Rare Bear skins for the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Annual Meeting booth this year.
For the next three months, we are asking our extraordinary community to come together stitch by stitch, bear by bear, to help bring comfort, hope, and joy to children living with rare diseases and other children in need.
Every year at NSGC, our Rare Bear Army booth becomes a place of connection and compassion. The National Society of Genetic Counselors represents thousands of professionals who help patients and families navigate some of life’s most complex and emotional medical journeys. Genetic counselors are often among the very first people to help families understand a rare disease diagnosis, interpret genetic testing, guide treatment decisions, connect families to resources, and provide support during moments filled with uncertainty and fear.
For children and families facing rare disease, genetic counselors are trusted guides, advocates, educators, and compassionate partners. They help families feel less alone while opening doors to answers, care, research opportunities, and hope for the future.
That is why this partnership matters so much.
At the NSGC meeting, genetic counselors, advocates, clinicians, researchers, and families gather together around a shared mission: improving the lives of children and families affected by genetic and rare diseases. Our Rare Bear Army booth has become a small but meaningful part of that experience — a place where handmade bears remind families that an entire community stands beside them.
These bears often travel into hospital rooms, infusion centers, medical appointments, and homes where families are facing some of the hardest moments of their lives. To a child navigating a rare disease journey, a Rare Bear is more than a gift. It is comfort during uncertainty. A friend during treatment. A reminder that they matter and are deeply cared for.
Our goal is ambitious, but together, we know it is possible.
Over the next three months, we hope to rally sewists, families, students, advocacy groups, and compassionate supporters from across the country to help us reach 150 bear skins before NSGC. Whether you make one bear or twenty, your contribution becomes part of something much larger — a movement of kindness for children who need it most.
Here is how you can help:
• Sew Rare Bear skins
• Host a local sewing day or community rally
• Donate fabric or supplies
• Invite friends and family to join the mission
• Share our goal across social media and advocacy networks
Imagine what 150 bears lined up together represents: 150 moments of comfort. 150 children reminded they are not alone. 150 acts of compassion created by this incredible community.
Let’s make these next three months a celebration of generosity, creativity, and purpose. Let’s show families facing rare disease that there is an army standing beside them — and that the genetic counseling community and Rare Bear Army together are helping bring both compassion and hope to their journey.
Thank you for being part of the Rare Bear Army and for continuing to turn love into action.
With gratitude and excitement,
Christina Waters
Rare Bear Army
National Society of Genetic Counselors Annual Meeting Initiative
National Society of Genetic Counselors
