Sometimes, leaders emerge from unlikely places. April Proffer, a Random Acts supporter, never thought of herself as a leader. By her own admission, she is a shy person who struggles at times with anxiety in group settings. But given the opportunity and the right set of circumstances, April was able to lead one of the longest-running kindness projects in Random Acts’ history. Once the project wrapped up, she generously agreed to chat with us about her inspiration, her love of crochet, and how kindness can be a group effort.
Our conversation with April started with a difficult, personal story. When her Aunt Betty battled dementia, April wanted to make a blanket for her. The idea was to create something comforting to have on her lap when Aunt Betty used her wheelchair. Unfortunately, Aunt Betty passed away before April could finish the blanket. “I set it aside because I was just so heartbroken,” April explained. However, a year later, she was motivated to finish the blanket to honor her aunt’s memory. Now that the blanket was finished, she wanted to give it to someone who could use it.
By chance, she found a memory care facility near her home and decided to donate the blanket to a patient there. After doing a bit of research, she found out that the facility could house up to 72 patients. This served as her inspiration. She was determined to make a blanket for every patient at the facility. But she knew she could not do it alone.
Seeking community support in the Phoenix, Arizona area, she used social media to reach out to like-minded, kind individuals. She connected with people who wanted to contribute to her project by donating yarn. Some of them mentioned that they would love to help make blankets, but that they did not know how to crochet. April decided to challenge herself by offering group lessons to teach members of her community how to crochet. “For me, the group lessons were very daunting,” April said, “but the group made it easier” by being patient and flexible.
Under April’s leadership, about a dozen people worked on the project intermittently throughout the year of 2024. Together, they were able to surpass the initial goal of 72 blankets and made 100 blankets! Because of the surplus of blankets they made, they were able to donate blankets to four different facilities. After the project wrapped up, April said she was “stunned that we had accomplished the goal. And not just accomplished it, but blew it out of the water. Past what I had even thought was possible.”
While the community was incredibly generous with their time and efforts, there were not enough supplies to go around. As April explained, “Without Random Acts, the project would not have been possible.” Funds provided by Random Acts’ lovely donors enabled April to purchase crochet hooks, yarn, stitch markers, and other supplies for blanket making. Having a source of funding “was a huge stress off my shoulders,” April said.
When asked how the project changed her, April confessed that she feels “like it’s really helped me face some of my fears.” She went on to say, “Just knowing that I can do difficult things, and that I can set huge goals, and that I can accomplish them.” She is looking forward to continuing to work with her new group of friends to do even more kindness projects in the future!
Working together for kindness – You can do it, too!
If you were inspired by April’s project, and you have a group of friends who are looking for support to carry out a kindness project of your own, let us know! Reach out to a Regional Representative in your area for assistance and guidance. You can also apply directly on the Perform an Act of Kindness page for more information.
