Woman finds her plush gorilla and a place to volunteer at the Christmas Bureau

A gorilla brought Jenny Edgren to the Christmas Bureau.

The saga started in Long Island, New York, where Edgren was living when a friend gave her the plush gorilla in the fall of 1995.

Edgren felt drawn to the Northwest, and when the time felt right, she packed up her things and headed across the country. The gorilla, named George, was along for the ride.

In 2015, after two decades with George, Edgren “figured it was time for him to go to someone else.”

So she took him to the Spokane Chiefs teddy bear toss game last year and reluctantly handed George over to friends, who had front-row seats at the game. The stuffed animals collected at that game would be donated to the Christmas Bureau.

As Edgren watched her friend toss the gorilla onto the ice, she panicked.

“I was almost in tears,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep that night. I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to get my gorilla back.’ ”

She later called security to see if she could somehow retrieve George, but the gorilla, along with about 6,000 other animals, had already been delivered to the Christmas Bureau, which provides grocery store gift certificates, new toys, books and more to those needing some help during the holidays. The plush animals like George are also given out to children at the bureau each year.

Edgren wasn’t going to give up. She did some sleuthing and discovered the bureau takes place at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center, so she went there to see if she could find her gorilla.

“I couldn’t understand why,” she said. “Why am I so emotional over this gorilla?”

She figures it must be because “this is a connection from my original home,” she said.

“When I came to the Northwest, I didn’t really have anything to come to,” she said. “No family, no job.”

Edgren pleaded with organizers to help her find it: “I’ll do anything,” she had said. “I’ll donate, I’ll volunteer. I’ll do anything.”

She had brought along two new teddy bears to donate in exchange for George. It was an unusual request, but volunteers were happy to help.

“My heart went out to her,” said Judy Lee, special event coordinator with Catholic Charities Spokane. “She was just sweet and sincere and distressed. I assured her we would alert the volunteers and try to find her gorilla for her.”

Edgren came through on her promise to support the bureau. She is volunteering this year, helping with toy restocking. She also made monetary donations to the bureau in honor of her gorilla, and has donated her talents by performing for recipients visiting the bureau.

George, a relic from her former home, led her to her new home at the bureau, where Edgren says volunteering is likely to become a new tradition.

“I love it,” she said. “I love being part of this new family, this Christmas Bureau family. There’s so much warmth here.”

Donations

An anonymous donor gave $1,000 “In loving memory of Tim.”

Dick and Trudy Raymond, of Spokane, gave $500, writing, “In loving memory of our relatives and friends who are no longer with us. Thanks for all you do to help everyone in our community to have a Merry Christmas. Prayers for peace and God’s blessing for all in 2017.”

Timothy Devlin gave $500 via PayPal.

Kevin West gave $500 via PayPal.

Clay Randall gave $300.

Daniel J. Lennon, of Spokane, gave $250.

Jeff Sitton gave $250 via PayPal.

Jeffrey and Theresa Utesch, of Veradale, gave $200.

An anonymous donor gave $200.

Maryann Cooley gave $200 via PayPal, writing, “In memory of my husband John Cooley. This is my 12th Christmas without him… Miss him.”

Janice and Michael Aubrey and Michaela Jeanie Kuhlan gave $150.

Robert Breidenbach gave $125.

Barry Bergau, of Spokane, gave $120 in the name of his sister, Debbie Montgomery.

Dean and Liz Grafos, of Spokane Valley, gave $100.

Sue and John Cross, of Spokane, gave $100.

Bonnie Nelson, of Spokane, gave $100, writing, “In memory of my husband, Bud Nelson, who always believed Christmas was for helping others.”

DJ and Karen Merritt, of Spokane, gave $100, writing, “Thank you for all you do to make a brighter Christmas for everyone.”

Joyce and Thomas Sylvester, of Spokane, gave $100.

Two anonymous donors each gave $100.

Mary Cannon, of Nine Mile Falls, gave $100.

Daniel Simonson gave $100.

Michael V. Brown gave $77.48 via PayPal.

Jane Courtright, of Spokane, gave $50, writing, “Thank you for this good work you do at Christmas time.”

Mark Johnson, of Nine Mile Falls, gave $50.

Preston and Carolyn Smith, of Spokane, gave $25.

Richard and Marsha Malsom, of Spokane, also gave $25, as did an anonymous donor.

For donations made through PayPal, The Spokesman-Review contributed the processing fee.