KARE BEAR History

The Kare Bear Invitational is an annual golf tournament that in nineteen years has contributed over $580,000 to 30 different youth projects. Anne Pinkston and Karen W. Smith initiated it in 1988 as a vehicle to raise funds for South County youth-oriented projects and organizations. A dedicated group of volunteers puts on the tournament, as few as 15 in 1988 and over 100 this year. We are proud to list what programs have benefited from the many efforts of all involved in the Kare Bear Invitational. Our mission is to support the South Berkshire County non profit youth oriented activities. 

As we start our third decade of effort The Kare Bear Invitational has grown to quote one of our board members   “not just a group of people sitting around a kitchen table trying to help kids”.  We are a registered 501c3 with Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the IRS. We have a permanent office at Bill’s Pharmacy that has been kindly donated by Steve Bannon and his family that houses all of the Kare Bear activities that go on year round.

We have developed 4 divisions of Kare Bear, Inc. The tournament supports all of the youth based groups listed below. 

The Kare Bear Foundation is an endowment fund held at the Berkshire Taconic Foundation to ensure the ongoing support of youth programs here in the Southern Berkshires.

The “GO” Fund is a grant based program that is open to students who live in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District and the Southern Berkshire Regional School District who are under the age of 20.  The fund assists those students with projects that are not able to be funded through normal channels. For further information please go to www.thegofund.org .

Finally, Kare Bear Christmas gives us a project in the winter months to provide Christmas for families with children.

1988:

$18,818 was awarded to the following group:

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for sexually abused children.

1989:

$20,000 to finance the startup of the Southern Berkshire Youth Association.

1990:

$20,400 was awarded to the following groups:

The Children's Health Program and The Southern Berkshire Youth Association.

1991:

$21,000 was awarded to the following groups:

Hospice Care for the South Berkshires for a bereavement program at both local high schools, Southern Berkshire Youth Association for on-going programs, Bryant and Housatonic Elementary Schools toward construction of community playgrounds, Southern Berkshire Child Care Program for program expansion, Monument Mountain Regional High School for a yearlong program of intervention and counseling led by Berkshire Council on Alcoholism and Addiction, and The Children's Health Program for ongoing work in early intervention.

1992:

$22,300 was awarded to the following groups:

The Berkshire Taconic Foundation to establish the Children's Project Fund, an endowment for on going children's programs in the South Berkshires; The Children's Health Program for family education and support services; The Great Barrington Babe Ruth for equipment, The Sheffield Food Assistance Program to help feed children; The Southern Berkshire Youth Association and The Great Barrington Community Playground to update equipment.

1993:

$24,000 was awarded to the following groups:

Children's Project Fund , The Bryant Elementary School for additional playground equipment, The Children's Health Program to support play groups, Construct, Inc. for the Project Transitional Program, The Housatonic PTO for playground improvements, The Loaves and Fishes Society, The Sheffield Food Assistance Program, The Southern Berkshire Child Care Program for equipment and program expansion, The Southern Berkshire Youth Association, and The Southwest Berkshire Red Raiders Special Olympic Team for team fees to competitions.

1994:

$25,225 was awarded to the following groups:

The Berkshire Hills Tennis Association for rackets and a ball carrier for children, The Berkshire Humane Society for summer camp scholarships for Southern Berkshire children, The Children's Health Program to provide medications for needy children and develop a baby-sitting cooperative, The Children's Project Fund to continue to build the endowment for children's programs, Housatonic PTO to complete a skating rink at the playground, Loaves and Fishes Society, Sheffield Food Assistance Program, Monument Mountain Regional High School to help provide the senior class with an after-prom party, an alternative to using alcohol or drugs to celebrate the event, Sheffield Youth Hockey for goalie equipment, Southern Berkshire Child Care, Southern Berkshire Youth Association and YMCA Camp Hi Rock for summer camp scholarships for South Berkshire children.

1995:

$25,000 was awarded to the following groups:

Children's Health Program-Family Support Network to establish a lending library, Children's Project Fund, Great Barrington Girls Softball to construct an equipment shed, Hospice Care of the South Berkshires, Loaves and Fishes, Sheffield Food Assistance, Searles Middle School Ropes Course, Southern Berkshire Early Childhood Center, Southern Berkshire Youth Association, YMCA Camp Hi-Rock.

1996:

$24,925 was awarded to the following groups:

Berkshire Tri-State Youth Hockey, Children's Health Program-Family Support Network, Children's Project Fund, Sheffield Food Assistance, Southern Berkshire Early Childhood Center, Southern Berkshire Youth Association, South Berkshire Youth Football, Stockbridge Playground for equipment, YMCA Camp Hi-Rock for scholarships for South Berkshire children.

1997:

$24,887 was awarded to the following groups:

The Southern Berkshire Youth Association, YMCA Camp Hi-Rock, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Team, Children's Health Program, and the Children's Project Fund.

1998:

$26,500 was awarded to the following groups:

Southern Berkshire Youth Association, YMCA Camp Hi-Rock, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Team, Children's Health Program, and the Children's Project Fund.

1999:

$28,408 was awarded to the following groups:

Southern Berkshire YMCA, Children's Health Program-First Steps, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Team, People's Pantry, Sheffield Food Assistance, Children's Project Fund, and After-Prom Parties for Monument Mountain Regional High School and Mount Everett Regional High School.

2000:

$30,000 was awarded to the following groups:

Southern Berkshire YMCA, Children's Health Program-First Steps, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Team, Berkshire Children's Chorus for the overseas trip, The Children's Project Fund and the After-Prom Party for Monument Mountain Regional High School.

2001:

$28,750 was awarded to the following groups:

Southern Berkshire YMCA, Children's Health Program-First Steps, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Team, Railroad Street Youth Project for ongoing work with older teens, The Children's Project Fund and The After-Prom Parties for Monument Mountain Regional High School and Mount Everett Regional High School.

2002:

$31,100 was awarded to the following groups :

Southern Berkshire YMCA, Berkshire Rattlers Hockey, Children's Health Program, Railroad Street Youth Project, Children's Project Fund, Community Action, Construct Inc., People's Food Pantry, Sheffield Food Assistance, New Marlboro Playground and the After-Prom Parties at Monument Mountain Regional High School and Mount Everett Regional High School.

2003:

$31,850 was awarded to the following groups:

Berkshire Rattlers Hockey Program, Children's Health Program-First Steps, Children's Project Fund, Community Action, Construct Inc., Monument Mountain Regional High School After Prom Party, People's Food Pantry, Railroad Street Youth Project, SBYMCA, Sheffield Food Assistance