Knitting for Heroes
My wife, Kathy, loves to knit. Come to our house, look around, and you’ll see the evidence: balls of yarn, skeins of yarn, multiple knitting projects in progress, etc. Look pretty much anywhere and you’ll get a clear indication that a knitter lives here. Knitting is not only my wife’s passion, but her therapy as well.
Kathy also has a heart of gold and gives away most of the things she knits. Hats, scarves, gloves, blankets; even ornaments and little “hearts of hope.” The vast majority of her creations are either given to friends or donated to charities like Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation or Afghans for Afghans.
Last month, Kathy and I decided to combine her love of knitting for charity and my work as a lead advocate for Heroes in Recovery. The result was a “knit-in” that we held at our house.
On a chilly Sunday afternoon, my wife a slew of her knitter friends sat in front the fireplace in our living room and knit their hearts out. Their goal? Create beautiful hats and cowls to be donated to people in recovery at Dawn Farm, a nonprofit residential treatment center and working farm located in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
It was a great day that was all about knitting, recovery, community, and giving back. We also served great food—I made chili and cornbread to feed the troops—and educated people about both Heroes in Recovery and Dawn Farm.
The end result was thirteen hats and two cowls, all knit by loving hands and all uniquely beautiful. And all destined for people working hard on their recovery, just as Michigan’s cold winter weather descends on them. (There are also other items from the knit-in that are still in progress. Those will be donated to Dawn Farm at a later date, probably in January.)
Kathy and I recently made the hour-long drive from our house to Dawn Farm to present Megan Rodgers, their development director, with the hats and cowls. She was delighted to accept the donation and told us how much the residents would appreciate the knit goods.
Megan was incredibly generous with her time and made us feel right at home. We talked at length about addiction and recovery. She shared highlights of Dawn Farm’s 41-year history and explained their philosophy; we told her our son’s story and explained what Heroes in Recovery was all about. Megan also gave us a tour of the facility, which is quite impressive. As we walked through the building and saw some of the residents, we could feel the recovery and hope all around us.
When we left Dawn Farm, Kathy told me she’s going put them on the list of organizations she regularly donates her knitted items to. It really is a great place, a jewel we had often heard about but never visited. Needless to say, I think we’ll be back.
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” –Mother Teresa
If you are in recovery, or if you have a loved one who is in recovery, please consider sharing your story on the Heroes in Recovery website. By sharing, you can do your part to help BREAK THE STIGMA.
You can share your story in one of two ways:
1.) Go to the Heroes in Recovery page, share your story directly, and let them know Dean sent you.
2.) Contact me on Facebook (Dean Dauphinais) and I can help you through the process. Or we can talk on the phone and I can help you write your story.
Also, please feel free to share this blog or leave a comment below. I’d love to hear any feedback you might have.
Peace.
–Dean