NORWALK ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY NOW, Inc.
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program

98 South Main Street
Norwalk, CT  06854-3126
Phone (203) 663-7333
Fax (203) 899-2430
 

 
Darien   Greenwich    New Canaan    Norwalk    Stamford    Weston    Westport    Wilton

December 2, 1010
Handmade Gifts Knit Community Together
Pratt, outreach coordinator for the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of Southwest Connecticut, has many volunteers who like to knit, crochet or sew. People at the Norwalk Senior Center, the Westport Woman's Club, Ogden House in Wilton, Kingsway Apartments and other places keep themselves busy with donated yarn and fabric. Their work isn't wasted: On Wednesday, Pratt and RSVP Director Terri Klein gave 40 baby blankets to representatives of Family & Children's Agency Inc.

Tiffany McCarthy, director of family support and intervention programs at the agency, said the blankets would be appreciated. "Many of the families really have limited resources, so to have a fresh, lovingly made blanket is just a wonderful way to start their baby's life," she said. McCarthy expects to see newborn babies leaving the hospital swaddled in the blankets. "Seeing a child that's wrapped up in a parent's arms, knowing where that blanket came from and just that attachment that you're watching happen is so amazing," McCarthy said.

The blankets are just the first holiday gifts from RSVP knitters. Pratt has hats, mittens and scarves destined to be Christmas presents for more than 500 preschoolers in the NEON Child Development/Head Start Program.

The women said getting something new was special.  "They're so accepting of whatever help they can get," McCarthy said. "But having something new, it's really such a wonderful thing for them to be able to know that this is theirs. It's created just for them."
Source:  The Daily Norwalk