Spreading Kindness One Stitch at a Time
Any references to Forward/Horizon Housing have been changed to Onward as a result of the merger of the two organizations.
If you walk into Carroll Place on any Saturday afternoon, you will find a vibrant group of women in the lounge sharing baked goods, stories and plenty of laughter. They spend the afternoon socializing while knitting a wide array of colourful masterpieces.
While this scene may be similar to what you could find in any senior’s residence around the country, there is something special that differentiates this group from most other knitting circles. These ladies aren’t knitting for personal use, or to share their masterpieces with family and friends; they are ‘Knitting for a Cause’.
While it started in 2013 as a volunteer-led initiative created with the intention to build community within the building, relieve isolation and offer the opportunity for residents of all skill levels to come together and knit, the group has evolved into much more than that.
It began when Clara, a friendly, kindhearted, Brazilian woman, who was studying at SAIT walked into Onward’s head office. Armed with enthusiasm, a love of knitting and a desire to connect with isolated seniors, she inquired if there would be an appetite for her to start a knitting club. She would facilitate and teach anyone willing to learn the basics to get them started. Our leadership team responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!” and with that, the knitting club was formed.
What Clara envisioned when she first entered our building was an opportunity to make a difference for a small group of seniors within our building, but what she created was significantly larger and much more profound. Clara visited Carroll Place every Saturday afternoon, and very quickly had a loyal group of knitters of all skill levels, including the five original members and long-time Carroll Place tenants: Noreen, Theresa, Della, Doris and Clara (a resident, not to be confused with our volunteer!)
This group offered a new experience for some, like Noreen, who had never knit before. While she often asked for help from the more experienced members, Noreen picked up the art quickly and from then on was frequently seen armed with a set of knitting needles and a project. Before long, Noreen was the designated leader of the group, and, together with Theresa, was spearheading a lot of the projects and initiatives.
For others, this group has offered an opportunity to re-ignite a passion that was developed early on in life. “I started knitting with my mom when I was about 7,” Doris reminisces. “I remember when I was a teenager, I knit heavy wool socks to send to my cousin who was stationed in Germany during the war. He would write to me and tell me he never had such great socks. That gave me such joy.”
While knitting is what brings these ladies together, the group is about much more than just that. It offers the ladies a chance to socialize and engage with neighbours from both inside the building and from the Brentwood community.
“You can knit at home, but its always nice to have some one to talk to while you are working away…and the cookies are always good,” Della laughs.
In 2014 the group welcomed Dianne and Eileen, who joined from the Brentwood community after seeing the invitation in The Brentwood Bugle, the local monthly newsletter. Dianne and Eileen have since taken an active leadership role in the group and have facilitated the recent initiatives.
While the ladies all enjoy the social aspect of the group, each of them say their favourite thing about this group is that it gives them the most fulfilling of all experiences: the opportunity to give back.
When the group first got together, they knew they wanted to make a positive impact in their community but weren’t quite sure what it would be. They put out a call in the Bugle for yarn donations and the response from the community was overwhelming; donations have been consistently pouring in since that first request back in 2013. The group began by knitting sets of children’s hats, scarves and mitts which they donate every fall to elementary schools in Calgary.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, paired with the hard work of the Knitting for a Cause group, thousands of little hands and ears have been kept warm during our frigid Calgary winters. While the group continues to knit winter wear for kids, they have also expanded their reach by donating to a variety of initiatives.
Over the years the group has found ways to also make an impact in the global community. Following the massive earthquake in Nepal in 2015, the group sent 25kgs of hats and mitts, which were delivered to orphaned children via an Onward staff member who travelled to Nepal. One hundred hats were sent to China in 2016 through a partnership with high school students in Brentwood. They have most recently completed 877 dolls for the Izzy Doll initiative, which sees knit dolls delivered by Canadian Forces to children in war torn areas all over the world.
“At the end of the day, it’s the knitting that ties us all together, but we’ve become much more than just a knitting group,” says Dianne.
The group has been spreading kindness and compassion throughout Calgary and beyond, one stitch at a time, for more than half a decade This group of inspiring women serve as a wonderful reminder to us all that you don’t need a lot to make a difference in the community, just a bit of time and a lot of heart.
