Setting up giant inflatables, giving out free gummy bears, and selling popular sweatshirts and pajamas aren’t the only things Excel TECC marketing students have done this year. 

Senior Probir Mukjerjee, CEO of this year’s marketing program, explained that the marketing program is a Junior Achievement company and part of a vocational consortium. 

“It’s a way for [students from] 10 different schools to come together to form a company [that addresses a social cause],” he said.

“Each year we have a different focus,” Mukherjee said. “In previous years [previous classes have] focused on water crises and food insecurity issues, and this year we’re focusing on kids in the hospital to find joy during their difficult times.” 

This year’s project, called Hope Heals Ohio, aims to make pediatric patients more comfortable by providing them with Medi Teddies, IV bag covers designed to look like smiling teddy bears in order to make the medical experience more kid-friendly. Marketing students are using the money they raise to provide Medi Teddies to pediatric hospital rooms across Northeast Ohio. 

“The students were inspired by the story of Ella Casano, a high school senior from Connecticut who has a rare blood disorder,” Beachwood Schools’ Director of Communications Lauren Meade wrote in a press release. 

Ella invented the Medi Teddy after undergoing frequent IV infusions as a child to treat a rare blood disorder.

“We found at the beginning of the year that everybody loves a teddy bear…  it doesn’t matter what age they are,” Junior Achievement Marketing Teacher Greg Perry said. “They can be a small child, they could be an adult, everyone seems to react positively to either hugging a teddy bear or seeing a teddy bear.”

The campaign has become widely recognizable in the Cleveland area, as they have sold many sweatshirts and pajama pants with their logo. They also have placed giant inflatable bears around the community.

“Creating the giant teddy bears and creating the pajama pants and the sweatshirts made a teddy bear kind of cool this year,” Perry said.

 The Hope Heals Ohio campaign has been extremely successful.

“In terms of revenue, the students have broken all of the world records,” Perry said in late April. “We’ve always held the world record for the last 17 years. Our best year we’d ever done in revenue was 112,500, and this year they’re over $180,000 already.”

The marketing program has placed giant inflatable teddy bears all around the Cleveland area, including around Beachwood and at Pinecrest and Legacy Village. They are currently on display at Crocker Park until May 6 and will be at Van Aken May 24-June 3. 

Senior Charlie Greene, store manager for the marketing program this year,  explained how the program has been valuable for her and other students. 

“It helps people develop their business skills and helps them become more professional, which I think is really important,” she said.

Greene also spoke about the impact the Hope Heals campaign could have in the community.

“I hope that this really has a positive impact for kids in the hospital and inspires that joy and to find that positivity in a time when it’s often pretty difficult and dark, especially for kids with critically ill conditions,” she said.

Greene is proud of the work marketing students have done to reach out to kids in the community as well, including hosting a bear party and other events. 

“I think we’re touching a lot of people’s hearts,” she said.

Mukherjee added that another learning experience of his role as CEO has been learning to talk to people from major companies and to persuade them to be on board with the initiative of the marketing program. 

“Being the CEO has definitely been a difficult challenge for me,” he said. “But it’s really been a great experience learning what it takes to run a company… what it’s like going out to pitch to these fortune 500 companies.” 

Perry emphasizes the importance of learning by doing.

“The marketing program is very unique in that it’s definitely not traditional. There’s no textbook in this class,” he said. “Although students learn business theories and vocabulary it’s done by actually engaging in business. It’s not just talking about it and reading about it.”

“Ultimately, all of this prepares them to go out and do sales pitches to real companies to raise real funds that support their cause,” he added.

The students feel they have grown a lot from the experience.

“[The program] teaches you a lot about professionalism and what to say [to CEO’s of large companies],” Greene said. “We are learning a lot about how to present ourselves and our ideas in a very calm and relaxed way and not to be nervous about it, which is really important in the business world and in all [job fields].”

“I would say to any incoming juniors, make sure to apply because it’s a great experience even if you’re not going into a business field,” Mukherjee said. “Having this kind of experience on your college application and resume really helps you stand out. You find your brand and really get a leg up on the competition especially in the job market right now.”

“I think that all business owners and adults that are seeing what this group of kids are doing are really impressed by it,” Greene said.

Perry addressed how impactful it was for the students to be able to give their product to their first customer.

“Just last week, they were able to donate the first Medi Teddy, giant bear and teddy bear care package to a nine-year-old from Mayfield who was going in for chemo treatment,” he said. “The story of helping critically ill children became extremely personal.”

There will be a ceremony on May 29 where students will donate the original pieces of art made for the company by top sponsors to area hospitals. They will also donate the Medi Teddies to patients in those hospitals.