Crochet And Knit for A Cause Group Receives Donations and Thanks

August 15, 2017

by The Holmdel Journal

One of the greatest joys of making and then donating a handmade article to a hospital – be it a doll, a hat, a shawl, or a blanket – is that you bring a smile to someone’s face and help improve their life. The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders of St. Ambrose Catholic School in Old Bridge recently donated to the Crochet and Knit for a Cause group, founded by a Holmdel resident and hosted at the Hazlet Library, a very large donation of handcrafted items that they made under the direction of Ms. Nancy Firetto, the school art teacher.

“When Nancy called me with the news of the donation, it brought tears to my eyes,” remarked Pat Koziol of Holmdel, the group’s founder and leader. “We have received many donations from adults, but to have connected with youth in the area was beyond my expectations. And when I showed the donations to Ms. Laura Siemientkowski, director of Volunteer Engagement at Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), she, too, was impressed with the quality and quantity of the items.” The parents of the students supported their children’s project by purchasing the supplies needed to produce dolls, hats, ponchos, tote bags, and blankets. The items will be sorted and distributed by volunteers who assist Ms. Siemientkowski at Monmouth Medical Center.

The Crochet and Knit for a Cause volunteers also recently received praise from Reverend Claire Pula, the bereavement coordinator at Hackensack Meridian at Home Hospice, for the beautiful shawls the group made and donated. She wrote, “What a profound comfort this is for our patients! Since I work out of our Wall office, I have not seen them myself, but I’m told they are lovely and make such a difference aesthetically as well as spiritually. Our hospital inpatients most often come on hospice at the very end of their lives, so the shawls are crucial for providing a warm and home-like touch in a time and place of shock and grief. Our JSUMC hospice staff encourages the family to keep the shawl once their loved one has died, and this then provides comfort to them as they begin their mourning. Please thank all the members of your group on behalf of our patients and their families! May God bless all of you!”

The Crochet and Knit for a Cause group meets at the Hazlet Library, 251 Middle Road, Hazlet. Donations of new, unused yarn are greatly appreciated. For meeting dates, please contact Ms. Diana Zambrano, Hazlet Library branch manager.