The hat project was a perfect volunteering opportunity for me. I had piles of miscellaneous yarn, I didn’t have to leave my home, I could crochet while I watched TV, it was my meditation time—the way I started the day and the way I ended it. I could crochet hats while Greg drove me everywhere, the hats adorned the dashboard of the pick-up and I got the opportunity to talk about the hatless babies. I made grocery bags full of hats. I shared the message of healthcare for infants with everyone who saw the hats. I set rows of hats on my computer at the methadone clinic and my patients wanted to hear all the news about the babies who were hatless. Some of the patients wanted a hat to take home so they could share the message with their family, some wanted to commemorate the donation by hanging the hat on their Christmas tree, one lady wanted a hat for a doll for her granddaughter who was homeless. Over 300 people who were themselves disadvantaged heard about babies with no hats and spread the word to their own families about infants who needed increased healthcare.
I gave away hats as Christmas tree ornaments, as thank-you gifts, as calling-cards, as gifts to family friends and friends of friends, and I sold some hats. And I ended up with 45 hats to donate to Warm Up America. Most of all, I became addicted to making hats and an advocate for babies to have their heads covered so they don’t lose 90% of their body heat.
If you would like to learn to crochet, a great website with detailed illustrations is http://learntocrochet.lionbrand.com, and it’s free.
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