Area youngsters will have a special Sunday when they receive teddy bears from ISU fraternities and sororities.

The women of Alpha Xi Delta, 315 Lynn Ave., held their annual Teddy Bear Drive Wednesday.

Members collected new and used teddy bears from various houses in the greek community at Iowa State, said Paige Cowger, assistant Alpha Xi Delta philanthropy chair.

“The ISU greek community has always been supportive of our teddy bear drive,” said Cowger, sophomore in psychology.

The teddy bears will be distributed Sunday to children at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines and the Beloit Children’s Home, 1323 Northwestern Ave.

“I think this is a great service project,” said Rod Mayes, residential director of Beloit Children’s Home. “We appreciate any kind of donation, and the children love getting the bears.”

Beloit Children’s Home is a temporary psychiatric residence for children aged 6 to 13. Lutheran Social Services of Iowa operates the center, and the facility commemorated its 150th anniversary in 1999.

“The center is run by both state and federal funds,” Mayes said. “Donations by service organizations really help us meet the needs of the children.”

The teddy bear drive is part of Alpha Xi Delta’s national philanthropy project, “Choose Children.”

“The drive brings us closer together as a house and gives us a chance to help out children,” Cowger said. “We have a lot of fun delivering the teddy bears to the kids.”

Anyone can donate bears to the house until Saturday afternoon.