We give families a free heartbeat bear at the hardest moment of their lives — so the sound of someone they love never fades.
Give a Heartbeat Donate NowKyle's Kritters Inc. is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free heartbeat keepsake animals to grieving families at their most vulnerable moment.
Founded by Mendy Nichole Tootle after the loss of her son, Kyle, in 2020, the organization has delivered nearly 2,000 heartbeat bears to families at Piedmont Augusta, the Medical College of Georgia, Doctors Hospital, and Affinis Hospice — at zero cost to the families it serves.
Each heartbeat bear contains a re-recordable 30-second module that captures a loved one's heartbeat, voice, or message. These bears are delivered directly to the bedside during end-of-life care, giving families something tangible to hold on to when words fall short.
Kyle's Kritters operates through community donations, with $50 funding one complete bear for one family. The organization relies entirely on the generosity of individual donors, corporate sponsors, and community partners to sustain its mission across hospitals in the CSRA.
Heartbeat bears given this year
Georgian's in hospitals or hospice units
1 family. 1 bear. 1 heartbeat that stays.
[What We Do]
When a family is facing goodbye, words aren't always enough.
Kyle's Kritters provides free, custom heartbeat animals — delivered right to the bedside at partner hospitals. Each bear holds a 30-second recording of a heartbeat, a voice, or a message. Something real. Something to hold.
It costs nothing for families. Ever.
[Why It Matters]
That's the belief that led to Kyle's Kritters. It's the belief that keeps us going.
[Latest news]
Talking to children about death is hard. Here's a gentle, honest guide to help your family navigate loss together — at any age.
That's all it takes. Your gift goes directly to a family at a local hospital — when they need it most.
