Stephen “Coop” Cooper speaking on the Make It Count podcast about the Comfort Bears mission to support children in crisis.

A Small Bear, A Big Comfort: How Comfort Bears Supports Children in Crisis

March 12, 2026•11 min read

Humans First, Always: Stephen “Coop” Cooper on Community, Comfort, and Choosing Authenticity

Some podcast episodes feel like a highlight reel—quick wins, polished answers, neat little soundbites.

This one isn’t that.

This episode of Make It Count feels like a coffee chat with someone who actually means it when they ask, “How are you… really?”

Host Michelle Latocha sits down with Stephen “Coop” Cooper, the founder of HB First Initiatives and now the Executive Director of Comfort Bears—and what unfolds is the kind of conversation that hits you in the chest a little.

It’s about community, yes.

But it’s also about something deeper:

The masks we wear
The fear of expectations
Mental health—especially for men
And why “humans first” isn’t just a slogan… it’s a way of showing up

So if you’re someone who cares about Niagara, cares about people, and cares about doing business with heart—this story is for you.

The Power of a Natural Conversation

Michelle opens the episode with a simple truth: conversations with Coop always feel natural. Not performative. Not transactional. Not surface-level.

And Coop immediately nails why that matters.

He talks about how often we “put masks up” in life—how we show a version of ourselves that we think people want. The version that looks strong, successful, composed, and always fine.

But when you find your people—your real people—conversation flows differently.

It becomes safe.

It becomes honest.

It becomes human.

And that’s where everything starts for Coop: not strategy, not spreadsheets, not branding.

Connection first.

Authenticity Isn’t Optional Anymore

Michelle brings up something many people quietly notice about Coop: he’s vulnerable online. He shares real feelings. Real moments. Real struggles.

And that’s not accidental.

Coop says fear is the thing that stops most people from being authentic:

Fear of the image
Fear of expectations
Fear of how they’ll be perceived by family, friends, business partners, the community

But in the last few years, he’s been on a personal journey where the conclusion is clear:

Authenticity matters.

Not just in his personal life—but in everything he touches. Everything he builds. Everything he aligns with.

Because if the mission is rooted in community, it can’t be built on a mask.

It has to be built on truth.

HB First Initiatives: A Hybrid Built on One Big Idea

If you’ve heard of HB First, you might assume it’s a charity.

Or maybe you think it’s a business.

It’s not exactly either.

Coop describes it as a social enterprise—a hybrid model designed to bring people together, have some fun, and still make a real impact.

The foundation is simple:

Human Beings First.

No matter what you do—business, family, parenting, entrepreneurship—we’re all human beings first. That mindset becomes the filter for how HB First chooses partnerships, creates events, and directs funding.

And in just seven months, Coop and HB First put $22,000 back into the Niagara community.

That includes:

Bursaries for kids
Funding tied to their art calendar contest
Charitable donations to five selected organizations
Support for small business partners—the golf courses, axe throwing venues, and local spaces that keep people employed

That’s what makes HB First different.

It’s not charity for charity’s sake.

It’s community-building through collaboration.

Grassroots. People-powered. Relationship-led.

How Coop Chooses Who to Support: “Have We Had Coffee?”

This part of the episode is classic Coop.

Michelle asks how he chooses charities or businesses to get involved.

And Coop’s first answer isn’t a list of criteria.

It’s a question:

“Have we sat and had coffee?”

Because for him, the heart behind the organization matters.

Yes, he understands financials—he has a finance background and 20 years of experience. He can “sift through question marks” and look at the numbers with a trained eye.

But the first test is always human:

Are the people behind this mission real?
Do they care?
Will they sit down, talk, and connect?

And then comes the second major filter:

Kids.

Coop says roughly 95% of what he supports is youth-focused. If it helps young people in the community, the decision becomes easy.

Because kids don’t just need resources.

They need belief.

They need hope.

They need moments that remind them they matter.

Comfort Bears: A New Chapter with a Heavy Heart

Then comes the “something new” Michelle teased at the start.

Coop is wearing a Comfort Bears shirt, and that leads into a story that shifts the tone from inspiring… to emotional.

Comfort Bears was founded by Lena Bassford, who also founded Foods for Kids Ontario. In 2021, she started Comfort Bears for one heartbreaking purpose:

To place soft, cuddly bears into the arms of children facing:

cancer diagnoses
trauma situations
end-of-life moments
grief and loss

It’s not just a bear.

It’s something a child can hold when the world stops making sense.

Something they can talk to.

Something that brings comfort when adults don’t have the words.

But Lena became ill and was diagnosed with leukemia. Comfort Bears posted a role for their first Executive Director—part-time contract.

Coop was already supporting them through HB First. He had attended their gala, bought a table, invested in their mission.

And then he felt the pull.

He wrestled with it—how do you run HB First and take on another major mission?

But his heart kept calling him to apply.

So he did.

And now, Coop is the Executive Director of Comfort Bears, stepping into a massive legacy with “big shoes to fill.”

He speaks about it with emotion because the stories aren’t abstract. They’re real families on real hard days.

The kind of days that make your “long day” feel small.

The kind of days where siblings might not see each other again.

Where parents might have limited time left with their child.

Where grief enters the room and stays.

And in those moments, a Comfort Bear becomes a quiet, powerful companion.

You can’t put a price tag on that.

You can’t measure it with ROI.

It’s human connection at the deepest level.

Comfort Bears Isn’t Just Niagara—It’s Across Ontario

One of the most surprising parts of the conversation is the reach.

Comfort Bears operates beyond Niagara, stretching across:

Toronto
Oakville
Mississauga
Hamilton
London

Coop estimates around 35–40% of their support still happens in Niagara, but their partnerships extend widely.

And he shares one powerful example:

They dropped off 75 bears to Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre—a place where children may be involved in police investigations.

That environment is inherently scary.

But the center is designed to create safety and a positive experience for kids—and Comfort Bears becomes part of that environment.

There’s a “bear wall” where children can choose the bear that resonates with them.

It’s simple, but it’s profound:

In a moment where so much feels out of control, the child gets a choice.

And sometimes… that’s the first step toward healing.

HB First: Clover Cup and the Calendar That Made Kids Feel Seen

When Michelle talks about HB First, her excitement is obvious—especially around the art calendar contest.

She shares that her family has the calendar in their kitchen. Her seven-year-old daughter saw it and asked:

“How do I get involved? There’s kids my age in here.”

That’s the magic.

The calendar didn’t just raise funds. It created belonging.

Michelle describes watching teens realize their art was published:

“Oh my gosh… I’m in a book.”

And seeing kids hold a cheque like it’s the coolest thing in the world:

“That’s my money.”

It made them feel worthy.

And Coop adds an important point: in today’s world, artists often get undervalued. People expect creativity for free.

But for kids and teens?

Art is therapy.

It helps them process grief.
Heavy emotions.
Life.

Seeing their art valued and celebrated isn’t small—it can change how they see themselves.

Coop admits he was in a low season when the calendar project launched. Winter blues. Heavy energy.

But when they started doing presentations and kids opened the calendar and smiled…

His heart filled back up.

Sometimes impact changes the giver too.

The Next Evolution: A Volunteer Committee to Keep It Bigger Than Coop

Michelle notices that Coop has shifted how HB First selects charities.

Coop explains why:

Now that he leads Comfort Bears, he wants to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. More importantly, he’s always wanted HB First to be bigger than him.

So he’s building a volunteer committee—not a board of directors, not something corporate or complicated.

Just a small group of community-minded people making decisions together.

Three meetings a year.

A grassroots structure.

Funding smaller initiatives—“a few thousand dollars in projects”—but putting that money directly back into the community.

It’s not about growing an empire.

It’s about growing community ownership.

Partnership Over Transactions: “This Isn’t an ATM”

One of the most powerful lines in the episode is Coop’s view of collaboration:

When you partner with him—through HB First or Comfort Bears—you get him 100%.

He’s not the type to do one social post and disappear.

He believes in partnership.

In showing up.

In mutual belief.

And he calls out something that’s become far too common:

That transactional energy of “thanks for the money, see you later.”

He’s not interested in that.

Small businesses, nonprofits, and charities should be working together because they’re the ones driving services, driving community, driving real impact.

That’s the “Humans First” model in action.

The “Hella Awkward” Game: Cars, Judge Judy, and Letting Go of People Pleasing

Then the episode gets fun.

Michelle plays a get-to-know-you game and Coop’s answers are peak Coop.

Three apps he’d keep?

Facebook (because community and messages)
Email (because life runs on it)
Instagram (for business… and car videos)

He jokes that he’s still old school—he’d rather drive his MGB with no GPS and just enjoy the road.

And then there’s the guilty pleasure:

Best TV show of all time? Judge Judy.

The classic gavel, the savage one-liners, the “what did you think this was—the beach?”

It’s funny, but it also shows something real: even community leaders need something light.

And then comes the deeper question:

What did he let go of that once defined him?

People pleasing.

He admits he still struggles sometimes. He grew up in an environment focused on others—mind your manners, make people happy, overachieve.

That made him caring.

But it also made him push too hard.

This is where the episode shifts back into mental health.

How He Manages It All: “Good People. No Fixing. Just Being There.”

Michelle asks the question everyone is thinking:

You’re running two major organizations.
You have family.
You’re busy.
How do you manage it all?

Coop laughs and says:

He’s crazy.
He has another gear.

But then he gets real.

He has down days.

And the person who sees those down days is his best friend—his wife.

He says that without her, he’d be in a very different place.

He also highlights the challenge for men:

Men often don’t open up. They don’t have the dialogue. They’re afraid of being seen as weak.

So he’s intentionally building spaces where that changes—car communities, boards, community events.

He also mentions partnering with a friend to participate in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive as a prelude to Movember—focused on suicide prevention and men’s mental health.

He shares a heartbreaking story: his friend’s son, only 23, passed away due to mental health and addictions.

And you can feel the weight of it.

Some days, Coop admits, he doesn’t know how he does it.

But he knows this:

Good people matter.

People you can text “Hey, what’s up?” and they know what you’re really saying.

People who don’t judge you.
Don’t try to solve you.
Don’t interrogate you with advice.

Just people who show up.

Sometimes that’s everything.

The Closing Message: Lines Open, Hearts Open

By the end of the episode, Coop sums up what’s next:

Comfort Bears is in a transition season, but the mission is strong.
HB First is continuing Clover Cup and the calendar fundraiser.
He’ll keep showing up across the community.

Someone recently introduced him as “the community guy,” and honestly… it fits.

But he reminds everyone:

It’s never been about him.

It’s always been about each other.

And his final message is simple:

His lines are open.

If you’re a business and want to talk about something that matters—he’ll chat.
If you want to get involved—he’ll guide you.
If you want to partner—he’ll show up.

Because community isn’t built by one person.

It’s built by people who keep choosing humans first.

And as Michelle said best:

If you take anything from Coop’s book, it’s this:

Get involved. Put humans first. Have a big heart. Our community needs one.

Stay Updated with Visibility Boosters
Explore our Website: Digital Marketing | Visibility Boosters | Web Design | Social Media | https://visibilityboosters.com/
Follow Us on Instagram: The Visibility Boosters | @thevisibilityboosters
Join Us on Facebook: The Visibility Boosters
Connect on Twitter: The Visibility Boosters | @visibility_the
Follow our Youtube Channel: Visibility Boosters | https://youtube.com/@visibilityboosters
Follow Us on Spotify: Make It Count Show | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/visibility-boosters