Students, faculty and staff at Evergreen Park Community High School banded together recently to learn how to knit hats that will keep clients at a local homeless shelter a little warmer this winter.
Art teacher Sandy Safranek spearheaded the project, originally asking Art Club students to make hats for themselves and as gifts for others, preferably the homeless.
But then school bookkeeper Kyle Nine mentioned a pressing need for winter hats at a homeless shelter where she and her husband volunteer. So Safranek encouraged students to donate their second hat to Southwest Chicago Homeless Services.
“The next day, I was making an example of the hat to show the students, and ‘a little voice’ gave me the idea to open up the project to the rest of the school community,” Safranek said. “The students, administration, faculty and staff loved the idea.”
Safranek then set to work training staff how to make the hats.
“It was very humbling, because most of us as adults don’t try things for the first time in front of our peers,” said Nine, who dove right in anyway.
After the training, members of the Art Club, art class, National Honors Society, dance team, basketball team and other students, as well as faculty and staff, spent two afternoons making about 70 hats. That meant some frustrating attempts at learning how to knit, but then a sense of camaraderie and entertainment.
“I want to help as much as I can,” said senior Safiyyah Jordan. “This was a way I could help homeless people stay warm.”
It was also a chance for students and staff to get to know each other better and have some fun, too.
“Making the hats was a chance to spend time with my friends and give something back at the same time,” said senior Neema Griffin. “It was nice to know something I made myself would help someone else stay warm.”
Basketball coach Mark Smyth had to nudge his team to participate, but then they gave it their best, said Nine.
“Once they learned basic stitch pattern, they were as good as anyone else,” said Nine. “It was the first time I ever saw knitting turned into a competitive sport.
“That’s basketball players for you.”
Nine said the project gave students a chance to do more than simply donate to the needy since they had to make the hats themselves.
“The people who took the hats were really glad to get them,” said Nine, who was at the shelter when some of the hats were given out.
Safranek said the project was so successful she hopes to make it a yearly tradition, possibly making scarves next time.
“It was amazing to see so many embracing the true spirit of Christmas and giving from the heart, not to mention all the fun that we had!” Safranek said.
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