Crocheting for a Cause

“Crocheting for a Cause is more than a club, I consider it a family.” Said Chelsey during our interview. This really resonated with me. This club is more than just a club and it’s like a close-knit family, and I learned that through the interview with Chelsey. The community is based in a relatively small city called Fort Myers. Fort Myers is located in southwest Florida and it is a beach town. Fort Myers is also home to one of the largest children’s hospital in southwest Florida, Galisono Hospital. Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida is a state-of-the-art, family-centered, full-service children's hospital. Chelsey Helveston would volunteer at this hospital once a week. One day as she was volunteering she noticed that most of the children wore hats, and she asked one of them why they wore the hats. They responded with that they were trying to cover up. Chelsey wanted to do something to help them, so she decided to crochet hats for the Golisano Children’s hospital. At this point Chelsey has been trying to find different organizations that she could donate crochet items to. As part of her project, Chelsey needed an organization that would take crochet items.

Chelsey and her five members were on a mission to create 150 hats before Christmas. This was a challenging goal because many of the members within the club did not know how to crochet.  The club also meets once a week on Tuesdays at two o’clock. This made it especially difficult because the meeting times were short, and Chelsey could not meet with everyone during the time. The club took place in a small classroom, that one of Chelsey’s teachers allowed her to use.  This small space also made it difficult for her to help the members, but nevertheless she was able to help them to an extent. The club started with about 15 people but soon dwindled because of how hard crochet was.  Many people would feel disappointed about this, but rather Chelsey felt a little relieved because she was able to aim her attention to the individuals that wanted to actually learn how to crochet. This is what makes this community so special. The individuals that are a part of this community want to genuinely help give back to the community and help Chelsey reach her goal. One member in particular, Alazne Cameron, contributed the most. This member was a transfer student from Kingston, Jamaica and when she came to Riverdale High School, like many other of the members of the clubs was looking for a relaxing club to be a part of. Alazne was interested in learning how to crochet, her enthusiasm allowed her to crochet the most hats out of all the members. Alazne learn so quickly that she was able to teach the other members how to crochet, and this took some of the stress off of Chelsey’s shoulders. This club created an indescribable bond between Chelsey and Alazne. Their love of crocheting bought them together. Alazne became one of the lead members of the club. When Chelsey is not able to lead the meetings, Alazne is there to take her place and teach the other members of the club. Chelsey would describe the environment as intimate because she can feel how close the members are to each other. This type of intimacy is not typically found in clubs like this. Chelsey would describe the meetings as peaceful. When they meet they sit in a circle, so they can observe Chelsey and Alazne. They would have their needles and yarn in the circle, so it reachable to everyone. As they crochet, they are free to ask as many questions. In the beginning of the meeting, Chelsey pulls up a video on the smartboard, to show the club. Then they would discuss the video and talk about the techniques involved in making the hat. She would then demonstrate the skill and help the group learn how to do this. Chelsey finds this way helpful for the individuals in the group.  Alazne also plays a major part in the club because, she keeps track of the hats they have crocheted and the supplies they need. The club is based on donations from individuals and members of their community.  Chelsey explained that she would receive donations from elementary schools. This shows the support that their surrounding community has for Chelsey and her clubs’ cause.