Random Acts supporters Jackie Glass and Jordan Newell have a passion for crafting and helping others. As friends and coworkers, when their company offered time off for volunteer activities, they seized the opportunity.
Knowing they wanted to handcraft donations for children, they called various organizations to ask what they needed. To their surprise, not many accepted handmade donations. When The Children’s Hospital in Broomfield, Colorado, said they were in need of handmade fleece blankets, Jackie and Jordan knew it was a match.
With funding from Random Acts, the friends headed to their local craft stores in search of the best fleece for their no-sew blankets.
The Importance of Fun and Comfort
As important as blankets are for keeping warm, hospital blankets are not made to feel cuddly and soft. This is why, according to the hospital’s staff, handcrafted fleece blankets can help the children feel more comfortable and at home during their stay.
When cozy blankets get donated, the staff explained that the children get to go “shopping” for the one they want. Having the power of choice, even over something as “small” as a blanket, empowers the kids during a time when their choices are extra limited.
Picking out a blanket is often also a fun activity for the kids compared to their medical procedures. Knowing this, Jackie and Jordan decided to pick creative colors and patterns so the kids could also enjoy how their cozy blankets looked.
Working Together While Apart
Neither of the friends had made this specific type of no-sew blanket before, so they worked together to figure it out.
Since Jackie and Jordan live a four-hour drive away from each other, they decided to work on the blankets together via video call. With limited space in their homes, Jordan folded the material on her lap, and Jackie laid hers out on a bed to work.
Their first blankets took the longest to make because the knots they used were time-consuming and hard on the hands. They found this frustrating, but once they switched to a different tying technique, they had an easier and faster time.
When one of them cut the edge of a blanket wrong, they worked together to brainstorm the best fix. When the blanket was finished, they could not tell that there ever was a mistake.
“Our hands were super sore the entire time we were making the blankets from cutting and tying,” said Jackie. “We joked about how it was helping protect us from carpal tunnel since we work desk jobs.”
Even Jackie’s two-year-old daughter “helped” by climbing over the blankets and playing with the cardboard cutout templates.
How Kindness Can Help During Tough Times
After completing the blankets, Jackie and Jordan both drove to the hospital to deliver their donations in person. Although they were not allowed to visit the kids, the blankets helped them, and they knew the blankets would have a positive impact on the kids while going through tough times.
Their act of kindness helped bring some happiness and comfort into the kids’ lives, but it also helped Jackie and Jordan.
“Even if it was a small thing, I hoped these blankets would bring some joy to the children at the hospital,” said Jordan.
“I felt like I was finally able to relax while I was making the blankets. I had been going through a very stressful life event at the time I was making the blankets… I was not doing much to relieve stress at the time so the act helped me pause from my very hectic life and enjoy the moment,” said Jackie. “Just the feeling of making something for someone that they will love is one of the best feelings ever.”
