Knitting for Charity: Easy, Fun and Gratifying

Sometimes it's fun to see what knitting charities other countries have, and Ray of Hope is one of the best. It's a British knitting charity that started with a small group of determined individuals and widened to include people from across the country and overseas. These dedicated individuals have a stall in the Leighton Hospital. Alternate Fridays, they run a very special kind of store.

On these special Fridays, the Ray of Hope volunteers sell knitted toys, blankets, shawls, cross stitched items, and cards. They provide a wonderful opportunity for people visiting newborns to purchase handknit, very special gifts for these new babies.

But that on its own doesn't make a charity.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 11:31 AM | Permalink

Partnership for Africa is a big charity. They aren't like some of the knitting charities we've covered, which are smaller, individually-led, and tackling local problems. Partnership for Africa is a dedicated organization with a single overriding goal: to help Kenyan orphans by providing them with education; spiritual, physical, and emotional care; practical life skills; and a place to call home.

We have to remember that AIDS, a disease that, while tragic, is largely under control in the United States, remains a raging epidemic in Africa. While some of these children lose parents due to other illnesses or economic hardship, most of them are AIDS orphans. It's hard to imagine the suffering these children must endure, but Partnership for Africa not only imagines it -- they find solutions to deal with it head on.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 9:30 AM | Permalink

Anam Cara is an organization dedicated to helping children touched by natural disasters, particularly tornadoes. Lately it seems like there are more natural disasters than ever before, both at home and abroad. We all feel for those who survive (and those who don't), and many of us contribute to relief efforts through financial donations.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 12:14 PM | Permalink

The story of Calvin's Hats is tearjerking. A family whose child is born too prematurely to survive discovers, to their dismay, that not only have they lost their child, they can't even dress him properly for burial because even the preemie hats are too large.

Posted by Kitty Doyle at 11:59 AM | Permalink