From The British Columbia Lions Society for Children with Disabilities:

Vancouver, BC (Sep 21, 2006) ? There?s nothing like a celebrity to turn heads on the street ? and several unique celebrity-style ?Spirit Bears? have been doing just that this summer around BC.

Now they will be at the heart of some bidding battles by art collectors this Fall.

The Spirit Bears will go up for auction as the Kermode Spirit Bears In The City public art project across British Columbia draws to a close. These life-sized (7 ft.) fiberglass Kermode sculptures will be auctioned live along with many more of the 200 Spirit Bear sculptures seen on city streets around the province. Funds raised will go to the BC Lions Society?s Easter Seal Operations, the Canucks for Kids Fund and the Bear Mountain Fund. Even more Spirit Bears will be available for online auction at GoBid.ca.

Consider:
? 'Darth Bear' (Robson & Burrard) and 'Robo Bear' (Burrard St.) by artist Judson Beaumont for Ron and Samantha Bauer
? 'Brent "The Bear" Butt' (Burrard & Robson) by Ross Agro for CTV Television Network
? 'A Tribute to John Lennon "Was It Just a Dream"' (Bastion Square, Victoria, BC) by Dawn Joy Ritchie for TP Systems Ltd.
? 'FONZ' (Nanaimo, BC) by Cim MacDonald for A&W
? 'Bat Bear' (West Georgia & Hornby) by Judson Beaumont for BDO Dunwoody
? 'The Cub Reporter' (West Georgia & Granville) by Ross Agro for CKNW Radio, Vancouver

?We really appreciate the financial help we received from all of our sponsors and now anyone can own any of these unique public art pieces,? said Stephen Miller, President of the British Columbia Lions Society for Children with Disabilities. ?Any of these bear sculptures would be a great addition to any collection. Perhaps we?ll even see some celebrities themselves giving us some healthy bids to benefit our two charities.?

For anyone unable to bid in person at the live auction, absentee bids will be accepted for these, or any of the other Spirit Bears up for auction.

More details about the auctions, all of the Spirit Bears and a downloadable absentee bid form are available at www.spiritbearsinthecity.com