Fuzzy Friends

We first found a shared love for crocheting in middle school when we became friends in track and field. We spent hours scouring YouTube together, finding tutorials to feed our new hobby. The craft made us happy, and the crocheted stuffed animals we created became the perfect gift for loved ones. Because some of our family members are doctors, we expanded our horizons to pediatric hospital settings, meeting kids struggling with medical issues and giving them crocheted stuffies. Realizing a homemade gift from the heart can make a world of difference for someone else, especially a sick kid, we found a sense of purpose in those small moments of joy and decided to use our love for crochet towards the good of others.

Naming our new project "Fuzzy Friends," we planned a way to bring crocheters in our school community together to make stuffed animals for kids in hospitals. We revived the crochet club at our school, using it to build a foundation of students for our community service project. We hosted meetings each week, even teaching beginners the basics of crochet in the hopes they could pitch in. We brought in various yarns and hooks, found easy and quick animal patterns on YouTube, and began collecting participants from all grades. As our club garnered attention, we even looped in a fourth-grade class at our school, providing supplies and directions. They eagerly participated in our project as a fun activity at the end of the school day, and the combined contributions of all students allowed us to collect a large number of stuffed animals.

Our efforts over the school year not only allowed us to turn our hobby into a way to comfort kids struggling with their health, but it also allowed us to build new connections with kids of all ages, showing students that every contribution is an important one. We appreciate the leadership and communication skills we are gleaning along the way and hope to continue extending our reach through the community, introducing kids to the world of crochet and community service one stuffed animal at a time.

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