Rachelle Gonzales set off to walk through Chapel Hills Mall on Saturday afternoon, a backpack strapped to her back with a stuffed bunny sticking out of it.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop associate was hoping to convince shoppers of all ages to build bunnies for the Waldo Canyon fire’s littlest victims and write notes to go with them.

See pictures of the event here.

At the time, it seemed like a tall order.

“People are looking at us like we’re crazy,” said Gonzales, who stood outside the store with her assistant manager trying to convince passersby to participate.

It’s free, they assured.

Some said they’d return with their kids; others kept walking.

“I’m going to say, ‘Just give me a minute of your time for those who don’t have anything left,’” Gonzales said. “’Come make a difference in peoples’ lives.’”

When Gonzales took off only about 30 stuff bunnies were in the boxes of stuffed bunnies in front of the store.

She must have been convincing. A half hour later the boxes held nearly 100 bunnies — half of the 200 the store had pledged to give away – and the line to stuff bunnies was growing longer by the minute.

Among those who volunteered was 15-year-old Texas resident Tyler Fleetwood. He was visiting town and the mall with friends Emma Birky and Baylee Starr, both 15.

All three had stuffed bunnies and were sitting on the wooden floor of the store writing notes to accompany them.

“I just told them that God is with them and I’m praying for a quick recovery and hope that everything is all right,” Fleetwood said.

“I hope the bunny makes them smile again because I know they lost a lot, and God bless them,” Birky said. “I hope this makes their life a little better.”

Seven-year-old Macy Awtrey and her parents Heather and Jason arrived at the store Saturday planning to use a gift certificate Macy had received for her birthday.

Instead the whole family opted to build bunnies for others first.

“I just hope it’s a small token to help them feel better,” Heather said with tears welling up in her eyes.

“I think about all the stuff she has,” she added, motioning to Macy, “and if it was lost, it would be hard. It’s just a little thing, but when you’re a little kid, tons and tons of stuff has meaning.”

As the line grew longer Taylor Elementary School teacher Christy Howard looked on and smiled.

Howard said she contacted the CEO of Build-A-Bear a couple of weeks ago in hopes that the company would agree to hold the stuffed animal drive.

“I’m thrilled,” she said of the turnout.

Howard writes and publishes children’s books focused on local history and geography. The books feature Build-A-Bear’s bunny, which she named Moffat.

Howard said she’ll donate a book to accompany each bunny and is coordinating with local school districts to make sure the bunny-and-book combos go to children who’ve been affected by the fire, perhaps via back-to-school events.

“I want the kids in the community to remember how beautiful Colorado Springs is even when it’s not happy right now,” she said.

Rachelle Gonzales set off to walk through Chapel Hills Mall on Saturday afternoon, a backpack strapped to her back with a stuffed bunny sticking out of it.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop associate was hoping to convince shoppers of all ages to build bunnies for the Waldo Canyon fire’s littlest victims and write notes to go with them.

See pictures of the event here.

At the time, it seemed like a tall order.

“People are looking at us like we’re crazy,” said Gonzales, who stood outside the store with her assistant manager trying to convince passersby to participate.

It’s free, they assured.

Some said they’d return with their kids; others kept walking.

“I’m going to say, ‘Just give me a minute of your time for those who don’t have anything left,’” Gonzales said. “’Come make a difference in peoples’ lives.’”

When Gonzales took off only about 30 stuff bunnies were in the boxes of stuffed bunnies in front of the store.

She must have been convincing. A half hour later the boxes held nearly 100 bunnies — half of the 200 the store had pledged to give away – and the line to stuff bunnies was growing longer by the minute.

Among those who volunteered was 15-year-old Texas resident Tyler Fleetwood. He was visiting town and the mall with friends Emma Birky and Baylee Starr, both 15.

All three had stuffed bunnies and were sitting on the wooden floor of the store writing notes to accompany them.

“I just told them that God is with them and I’m praying for a quick recovery and hope that everything is all right,” Fleetwood said.

“I hope the bunny makes them smile again because I know they lost a lot, and God bless them,” Birky said. “I hope this makes their life a little better.”

Seven-year-old Macy Awtrey and her parents Heather and Jason arrived at the store Saturday planning to use a gift certificate Macy had received for her birthday.

Instead the whole family opted to build bunnies for others first.

“I just hope it’s a small token to help them feel better,” Heather said with tears welling up in her eyes.

“I think about all the stuff she has,” she added, motioning to Macy, “and if it was lost, it would be hard. It’s just a little thing, but when you’re a little kid, tons and tons of stuff has meaning.”

As the line grew longer Taylor Elementary School teacher Christy Howard looked on and smiled.

Howard said she contacted the CEO of Build-A-Bear a couple of weeks ago in hopes that the company would agree to hold the stuffed animal drive.

“I’m thrilled,” she said of the turnout.

Howard writes and publishes children’s books focused on local history and geography. The books feature Build-A-Bear’s bunny, which she named Moffat.

Howard said she’ll donate a book to accompany each bunny and is coordinating with local school districts to make sure the bunny-and-book combos go to children who’ve been affected by the fire, perhaps via back-to-school events.

“I want the kids in the community to remember how beautiful Colorado Springs is even when it’s not happy right now,” she said.