In the words of Briana R., a junior member of our guild:
"In 2010, I joined a local group
called Katie’s Comforters Guild (KCG). The guild was started by Karen Gerstenberger
after her daughter Katie’s battle with cancer.
Mrs. Gerstenberger had seen how having a special blanket while in the
hospital had helped her daughter cope. She decided to help other children like
Katie through the comfort of blankets by creating a guild that makes and
donates handmade blankets to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
"A few years after joining the
guild, my church youth group was brainstorming community service projects and I
immediately thought of KCG. After some
discussion with my youth group leader and my mother, we devised a plan to get
the youth group involved. The only stipulation was that I had to convince my
peers to participate. I presented the idea of making blankets to them and they
unanimously voted it through. Now every year my mom and I prepare fleece
fabric; I then demonstrate to my peers the “how to’s” and together we make as
many blankets as possible and donate them to the children at Seattle Children’s
Hospital. Thank you notes from recipient families affirming the tremendous
comfort our blankets bring provide touching testimony to our impact.
"The Gerstenberger’s story
inspired me, and I am always seeking out creative ways to help others. My
mother was immensely supportive of the idea of joining Katie’s Comforters Guild
and first enrolled the two of us as members in 2010. After several years of
involvement as individuals in the guild, I saw an opportunity to extend the
project and its mission to a wider audience through my church youth group. I
felt that its creative nature would appeal to my peers as it did to me, and
that the blankets we could make would be an invaluable contribution to the
community. There are many concrete ways to tend to those in need but this is a
unique project in that its sole intent is to tend to peoples’ spirits.
"When my youth group first
announced they were looking for a new community service project, I approached
my youth leader with the idea of getting the group involved in making blankets.
She approved of the idea and suggested that, as a next step, I present the
project to my peers and request their input. Once they voted it in, we
discussed dates and my mother and I purchased and prepared the fleece for the
blankets. On the appointed date I brought the fabric to the class and explained
to my peers how to make the blankets. The finished blankets were then delivered
to the hospital. I have led my youth group through this process three times now
and so far we have donated 21 cheery blankets to sick children at Seattle
Children’s Hospital. Although I am member of the guild, members other than my
mother had no role in my activity.
"While my youth group
leader assisted with the logistics of the project, the execution and leadership
of the project fell to me. The most challenging part of the project was not
only convincing the other youth to vote the idea through, but also presenting
the entire concept in a way that got through to them and inspired them to
overcome their apathy enough to fully commit to and invest themselves in the
project and see the difference we could make to the children and their families
as they fight their illnesses.
"This project provided a
wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a leader and a member of my community.
I grew closer to fellow members of my youth group and was amazed to see how,
what to us was such a small contribution, had such an immense influence on the
patients’ lives. It is one thing to understand in a distant and abstract sense
that you are helping someone but it is another to witness it.
"While unfortunately, due
to hospital regulations, we are not allowed to personally deliver the blankets
to the patients, families occasionally take the time to write to the guild
thanking us for the blankets. One family wrote that the blanket their child
received “will be a part of her entire childhood” and made their “experience a
little brighter.” The youth group has been lucky enough to receive a few such
letters and the stories and gratitude of those we help touches us just as much
as our blankets touch them. Being a part of that beautiful relationship is
truly an honor. But it isn’t because of the letters, or even because of my
youth group that I keep making blankets, although those are both incredible
aspects of it, I make blankets because I understand how much something to focus
on and cling to means in times of such anxiety and pain. It means absolutely
everything in that moment, and I would do anything to even just begin to
assuage that agony.
"This
experience is something that has sculpted the course of my life; I will retain
my ties to the guild and continue to spread our message of comfort, generosity
and love, in some capacity, for the rest of my life. Being a member of Katie’s
Comforters Guild and participating with my youth group has changed both how I see
volunteering and how I volunteer. The
project has provided me with a volunteer opportunity to do something, at which
I both excel and enjoy, while helping others and growing as a leader. My
connection to and love for this project makes it by far the most influential
service experience that I have participated in over the years and inspires me
to be more emotionally present and invested in current and future volunteer
efforts."
Thank you, Briana, for sharing your story with us!
Do you know a young person who is looking for ways to serve in the community? Everyone is welcome to join Katie's Comforters Guild, including young people! The application to join our guild is HERE.
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