For the second year in a row, students from the Kyrene de las Brisas chapter of National Elementary Honor Society and the Aprende Middle School chapter of National Junior Honor Society will collaborate to create cozy fleece blankets for holiday giving to critically ill children.
Families from both schools will pitch in by donating fleece for the project. The students will donate their time to cut and tie blankets from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1 at Aprende.
Finished blankets will be delivered to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, which will distribute the gifts to its critical-care patients and their siblings.
The blankets offer a source of comfort, love and warmth, much like a hug, according to Aprende teacher Amy Furman, who oversees the project with her students.
Hospital stays and clinic appointments can be scary and unwelcoming; a simple gift of a blanket can provide a sense of security and a much-needed distraction, said Furman.
Last year’s project produced more than 300 blankets for the intensive care and oncology departments at PCH, according to Furman.
The effort received national recognition as one of the 2012 Outstanding Service Project award winners by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Brisas, Aprende scholars warm up the holidays
