Friends of the Children mentor Ki’ilani Viernes helps fit Chloe with a hat that she and a group of other young girls knitted to help homeless youth stay warm this winter.
Knitting class gives back to help other youth stay warm
Hats off to 10 young girls who’ve spent fall afternoons knitting hats to help homeless youth stay warm during the chilly Portland weather.
What started as a knitting class for youth at Friends of the Children in northeast Portland turned into an effort to help others. The group has long since surpassed their goal of making 75 hats by hand and will donate them all to other youngsters in need.
They plan to give knit beanies to babies at Emmanuel Hospital, slightly larger hats to young kids at the transition school and still others to p:ear, which serves homeless teens in the area. All donations will be made before Christmas.
The twist in this true-to-life yarn is these young people are themselves getting support through Friends of the Children – a nonprofit that helps vulnerable youth from kindergarten through high school graduation by matching them with professional mentors.
These mentors help children with their studies, teach them life skills, and spend time relaxing and playing as well as provide a listening ear and needed stability in their lives.
Terri Sorenson, executive director of Friends of the Children says, “These kinds of service projects help our youth build self-esteem by discovering they have something to offer. Many of our children not only graduate and get jobs but establish a life-long commitment to helping others.”
Despite coming from homes with high levels of domestic violence or teenage parents who’ve spent time in jail, 85 percent of the youth enrolled in Friends of the Children graduate from high school; 95 percent have never been involved in the juvenile justice system and 99 percent avoid teen parenting.
According to a study done by the Harvard Business School Association of Oregon for every dollar invested in Friends of the Children – the return to our community is $6.70. It’s a program that works and these girls are more proof of that.
Support for this knitting project was strong. Community members and Friends of the Children staff gathered together to teach the girls how to knit with looms and needles. And Vancouver business Crafts Americana Group stepped up to donate four huge boxes full of yarn to help make it possible.
