Fuzz E Vision Kidnapped; Ransom Is 100 Pair Of Glasses & 20 Used Cell Phones For Oasis

Jerry,
As you know, our Blowing Rock Rotary Club has been using the Spokesbear, Fuzz E. Vision,, for our "Give the Gift of Sight" program. We collect used glasses for the Lenscrafters Foundation and deliver them to the LensCrafter store in Hickory. The store employees go on mission trips to third world countries and have a team of optometrists check the vision of needy people and then provide the donated glasses to them. We have been collecting glasses for three years now. Each November, we have a member of the LensCrafters mission team speak at our Rotary Club meeting about the glasses that we collected and how they were distributed. The first mission trip was to Honduras and the 1,600 pairs of glasses we collected were distributed to needy Hondurans there. Last year, the mission team went to Mexico City and distributed the 1,800 pairs of glasses we collected to needy Mexicans there. This year we have collected over 1,700 pairs of glasses!
Each meeting we have the "Fuzz Report" where our spokesbear, Fuzz E. Vision, reports to the club members how many pairs of glasses we have collected to date. Our club also collects used cell phones which are given to the local battered woman's shelter, OASIS, where they are reprogrammed to dial 911 and then given to women in domestic abuse situations where the women can quickly summon help if they are threatened.
This last Sunday, I received an e-mail advising me that Fuzz had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. The ransom demand was 100 pairs of glasses for the "Give the Gift of Sight" program and 20 used cell phones for OASIS. The demand was accompanied by a picture of Fuzz gagged, bound hand (paw?) and foot, and placed in a floor safe. The photo is attached.
Fizz was at my home on Friday but now if nowhere to be found. I suspect the kidnappers had inside help. The ransom note is signed "The Belize Hostage Group". This last Sunday morning, our Rotary Club sent a group of Rotarians to Belize City, Belize for a week to help repair and improve a charity dental clinic there. I suspect that some Rotarian from that group was responsible but have no proof of who the culprits are, or where Fuzz may be, either in Blowing Rock, or maybe in Belize.
I have posted the photo of Fuzz that the kidnappers sent on our Blowing Rock Rotary website (www.blowingrockrotary.org). So far, since receiving the ransom note Sunday, we have managed to collect 23 pairs of used glasses toward the ransom demand but no used cell phones. Bernie Keele, the owner of Storie Street Grill has promised four additional pair of glasses.
I request community support to collect the used cell phones and used glasses to help ransom Fuzz. Donations of used glasses (prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses, plain sunglasses, and reading glasses) and used cell phones can be delivered to the local Post Office, the Blowing Rock Community Library, or St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, Rumple Methodist Church, or the Blowing Rock First Baptist Church.
Thank you for your help in saving our faithful bear!
A copy of the ransom note dated Sunday, 12 November 2006, is provided below.
William Parker
Blowing Rock, NC

Dear Dad,
This is your son Fuzz! I was playing out in the yard today and a group of foreigners stopped and asked for directions. I know you have told me not to talk with strangers, but I was just trying to help. Attached are pictures they wanted me to send to you. They interrogated me for an hour about your Rotary Club's mission trip to Belize. You can see me sitting in the chair. They did not hurt me and I am fine. After that, they tied me up and put me in a safe on top of their money? Then, they shut the safe. It was dark in there. Then, they remembered that they had not sent their ransom request so they have opened the safe back up and are letting me email you. They said that they need a 100 pair of glasses and 20 cell phones of well, you know what they might do! Dad, they are serious. I am scared, but feel like everything will be ok, if you can meet their demands! I don't know where they are taking me? Please talk to everyone at Rotary and see what you can do! I am counting on you! You only have a week!
Fuzz
(Belize Hostage Group)