Students Crochet for a Cause

The Blankets made for Project Linus, Photo by Courtney Coffman.

Crocheting — a hobby that many took up during lockdowns — is making a difference in the South Burlington and Burlington communities thanks to a few local high school students. 

After bonding over their mutual love of the craft and desire to reach the community, Courtney Coffman, Larissa Zeirak, and Libby Stevens, seniors at Rice Memorial High School, started a crochet club. 

Rice requires students to obtain a certain number of community service hours as a way to encourage students to contribute to the community. However, COVID restrictions put a damper on many students' plans for community service.

“With COVID It was hard to get volunteer hours. So we thought that if there was a way we could do a club,” Coffman said.

 Coffman speaks on the benefits of founding a club that incorporated her own passions and how community service has personally impacted her.

“I think also being able to– like use our passion to then benefit the community was something but that was also kind of fun and felt good to do,” Coffman said.

“I think just it's important because you get to give back to your community. And sometimes it sounds bad, but it feels good when you do it, too. I know I enjoy doing it,” Coffman said.

Last year the club worked on making and sending blankets to Project Linus, an organization dedicated to providing children in the hospital with warm blankets. Even during stricter regulations, Coffman said it felt good to know that the club’s blankets were able to make a difference in the community. 

A Project Linus employee took the time to reach out to the club to express her thanks since the club wasn’t able to visit in person. 

“She's (their correspondent from the local sector of Project Linus,)  like, your blankets are beautiful. And so I think that because we didn't really have human contact with that we donated to that having that clarity that the blankets were received and that people enjoy them. That was really nice,” Coffman said. 

Unhindered by a late start, The Crochet Club, which is completely student-run, has begun this year with Coffman, Zeirak, and Stevens offering virtual participation for students to remotely participate in the club via video tutorial and a new project of crocheting hats and scarves to be distributed at the food shelf.