Students donate to charity one stitch at a time - Schalmont Central School District, Rotterdam, New York

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Students donate to charity—one stitch at a time

Feb. 2, 2012—Seventh-graders in Diane Babin's Family and Consumer Science classes are learning a valuable lesson, one stitch at a time, about the importance of helping others.

students pictured with the heart-shaped pillows they sewed

Students sewed 51 hug-a-heart pillows during Diane Babin's Family and Consumer Science class, which were donated to Ellis Hospital heart surgery patients.

This semester, students sewed and donated turbans for chemotherapy patients, beds for sheltered animals, teddy bears for sick children and heart-shaped pillows for hospital patients.

The project is part of a class unit, called Community Connections, that supports the middle school's commitment to building good character traits.

"This project connects our students with the outlying community in a positive way," said Babin. "It teaches them that it is important to give their time and talents to others in need."

Before tackling the project, classes brainstorm potential sewing products and recipient charitable organizations. Then they narrow the extensive list to just a few ideas and organizations and vote on the final project and donation site.

"When students are involved in the selection process, I have found that they are more invested in the activity and end up producing a better finished product," said Babin.

Additionally this semester, Babin's classes along with other middle school students and staff collected and donated 20 pounds of aluminum pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House. The organization recycles the tabs for money and uses the funds to help pay for services that help families and children.

Since incorporating the character-building project into her curriculum in 2006, Babin's classes have donated:

235 pet beds to Animal Protective Foundation and other animal rescue organizations;
156 teddy bears to Claxtom Hepburn Medical Center, Sojourn House, and Ronald McDonald House;
21 hats and scarf to the Salvation Army;
24 pieces of preemie clothing to Albany Medical Center;
32 chemotherapy turbans to Albany Medical Center and American Cancer Society; and
136 hug-a-heart pillows to Albany Medical Center and Ellis Hospital.

Photo Gallery

students pictured with the 21 teddy bears they sewed and donated to the Ronald McDonald House students pictured with the 45 pet beds they donated to the Animal Protective Foundation Students pictured with the 14 turbans they donated to the American Cancer Society

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