Some students from Lillian Osborne High School in Edmonton made a special delivery Sunday morning to Ronald McDonald House.
They spent the last few months crocheting more than 300 hats for premature babies.
“I was prematurely born myself and actually received a hat just like this and I thought wouldn’t it be special if I could make the benevolence go full cycle,” said grade 10 student, Brielle Huang.
Back in September, Huang started a crochet club at Lillian Osborne, which grew to about 30 members.
From the beginning, the goal was always to give back.
“We thought the Ronald McDonald house would be an excellent way to reach many families and to impact the community in a greater way,” Huang said.
When families come to the Ronald McDonald house, some have nothing but the clothes on their back.
The handmade hats will be part of a welcome bag and every family with a child in the neo-natal intensive care unit will be gifted one.
“Families are going through some of the most challenging times they are ever going to experience when their child is in the hospital,” said Suzanne Pescod, director of marketing and communications with Ronald McDonald House Charities Alberta.
“This gesture goes so much further than they’ll even know or understand.”
Each hat can take about 30 to 45 minutes to make, according to Huang.
The crochet club meets for about two hours every week, but some members take the work home, too.
“Kind of overwhelming that I’m part of something so much bigger than I thought initially,” said Megan Yee, who is also part of the crochet club.
“I kind of realized part way through these hats are more than just hats — they’re going to be something that are with these kids for a long time in their lives.”
A successful first project for the group and definitely not the last.
“It’s just incredible to think about the impact these hats will make on the families, on the children,” Huang said.