Charity (a labor of love)
Cook Children: Stitch-a-wish
The volunteers of the Stitch-A-Wish program are an important part of the uncommon care that Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas provides to pediatric patients and their families.
Stitch-A-Wish volunteers sew for hospitalized children. The program provides the patients with colorful, child friendly pillowcases that brighten their rooms; medical play therapy dolls that help patients learn about and understand the medical procedures they undergo; telemetry bibs that allow toddlers mobility even while attached to heart monitoring equipment; saddle bags that give bed ridden children a sense of independence by providing them with easy access to their favorite things; preemie clothing for the tiniest infants to wear for their long awaited first trip home. These items, and many others, are utilized daily throughout the medical center for comfort, therapeutic play, arts and crafts, and safety.
The Stitch-A-Wish program was formed in October, 2005 when a call went out to the community for people who sewed to give their time and talents to hospitalized children by providing them with items that normally would not be available. The message was heard and the program has grown tremendously. Since the start of the Stitch-A-Wish program, over 4,000 items have been sewn and donated to ill children. The needs are ongoing and continue to grow as Stitchers create more items that make the young patients’ hospital stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible.
A vision of the Stitch-A-Wish program is that all patients receive their very own child-sized pillow and monogrammed Cook Children’s pillowcase to use during their stay and take home with them upon discharge. As a non-profit pediatric hospital, this can only happen through the support of volunteers and donors who are willing to give of their time and resources. Our invitation to sew is extended to everyone interested in volunteering from home and becoming a part of making little wishes come true in an uncommon way.
Finished size of pillowcase: 15" X 24"
