The Ebears

It seems that time really does fly. In this era of uncertainty and change, it is always nice to know that some good things remain constant. That is why a group of bears, myself included, got together and decided to begin a group that would really act as a friendship and support network. That group, called The E-bears, is celebrating its 1 year anniversary bigger and stronger than ever.

The E-bears were founded because of an increasingly amount of interest for a group that was activity driven. While there were and still are other popular bear and bear friendly groups in town, it seemed that there wasn’t a group that offered members the chance to instantly plan events at a moments notice. The idea behind the E-bears was that through the internet and emails, if a group of guys wanted to get together and to go to a movie together, they could simply send out an E-vite invitation and off we could go. By building a database on Evite with an instant RSVP system, members could plan an event as late as the day of, and get an accurate assessment of who would be there.

Of the many events that the E-bears have had, none seem to have more interest than our weekend movie outings. From Mamma Mia to MILK, the E-bears group attended several movies this past year. Often many of our members would bring their friends from out of town, allowing for anyone who wanted to come who so desired. Last year most of our movie outings occurred at The Mary Pickford Theater, but as the first year came to end we ventured out to other theaters as well. In the coming year we will continue expanding the venues that we attend movies out, and are going to commit to at least one (probably more) movie outings per month.

Other events that we have enjoyed were going to see the Palm Springs Power baseball game, a great 4th of July pool party and fireworks, miniature golf, a wedding and of course the event that started it all a Valentine’s Day Cupcakes and Cupid party. The point of the group is to not be stagnant by trying a wide variety of events.

The best part of it all, is that because all of our events are member planned, and there are no dues or officers, the E-bears is strictly about having a good time. There are no meetings or politics. Members can choose which events are of interest to them, and our policy is that those who are meant to be at an event and those who aren’t, simply are not. It’s really that simple.

Now of course, as with any group no matter how informal, there are a few rules. The rules for the E-bears are quite simple and are for the good of the whole group. Rule #1 is that we only encourage people who have a positive attitude. We strive to keep it drama free and since there are no dues, no promises and no official group charter, those who are looking for drama, simply are removed from the E-vite list. Rule #2 is the most important. It is imperative that our group remain active. We are not interested in how many people are in the group, we are more focused on how many active members we have. Therefore we do ask that members RSVP to the Evites whether they can attend or not. If a member doesn’t RSVP to three consecutive events we assume that they are now inactive and therefore drop them off the list. We don’t require that you go to any of the events, but you must at least take the time to respond to invitations. And the 3rd and final rule is that all public events (such as a movie outing, or day trip) are open to all members. However, if a member hosts an event at their private home, we do not require that they invite all members. This is because some people don’t have room for 75 people and since it is a member’s private residence, they can have the option of who they invite.

Now the biggest question that I get about the E-bears is how to become a member. It is really quite simple. Email your first and last name, some info about yourself, to ebearsps@gmail.com. It is really that easy.

We look forward to our 2nd year and hopefully you will be a part of the fun.