Students stitch together caring gesture

Some very young students are getting a very special lesson in caring for others, thanks to a class project.

It all started with a visit from the South Okanagan Women In Need Society to Karin Carriere’s Grade 1 and 2 class at Carmi Elementary, with some help from an educational assistant who is also an experienced quilter.

“We talked about empathy in the beginning of the school year and caring for other people,” said Edie Johnson. “I think that’s where we started asking what can we do to show that we care and what kind of group would need something?”

After a visit from a SOWINS representative in November, Johnson and the class decided to make a little quilt for their shelter, something that was a tangible expression of caring.

“She kept it very gentle but she was talking about how everybody sometimes has rough times in their lives — sometimes kids need to come to the centre in the night and they didn’t get to bring their blanket or their teddy. That would be something that the kids could receive as they come into the centre,” said Johnson. “I am a quilter, so that’s why I thought, I can do this with the kids.”

Each of the children in the class was given an eight-inch square, or “block,” of fabric and a stencil, either in the shape of a heart or a star. Once the students had finished decorating their square, Johnson collected all the blocks and took them home to assemble them and attach the backing.

“I put it all together over Christmas and brought it back. Now they are doing hand-stitching all around their heart or star,” said Johnson, explaining how she works with the children to accomplish the finer needlework.

“They are doing it as a partnership with me. They push the needle down and then I take it and push it back up. They receive the needle and push it back down,” said Johnson. “It’s one-to-one time with them and we talk about what we are doing and why we are doing it.”

The quilt was finished and presented to SOWINS last week.