Knitting for Charity
Earlier this month, four students in the IDEALS Knitting for Charity group put their fingers to work and finished knitting up some lovely garments for people in need of warmth and comfort. The garments are all going to the charity 300 Blankets.
The students involved got a lot out of the program and a deeper understanding of homelessness and the assistance and help that 300 Blankets provides to people in need.
Year 10 Students, Lucy and Christian, reflected on the IDEALS Knitting for Charity program, saying it was both rewarding and practical.
Christian: As a part of the IDEALS program, I participated in the Knitting for Charity program in which myself and many other peers knitted an assortment of items such as scarves and beanies for the charity 300 Blankets. Throughout this program, I was able to spend roughly 50 minutes every week chatting with friends and knitting.
I got involved with this program as I knew it was one that would be both relaxing and beneficial, not only for me but for the 300 blankets charity. I found this program very rewarding as I knew that my work in learning and persisting through the task of knitting would have a real-world effect in being donated to the homeless of Melbourne through the hard work of the volunteers at 300 blankets.
The charity 300 Blankets is one that is localised in the Melbourne CBD as well as the western suburbs of Melbourne where they supply a weekly soup kitchen called “Soul Kitchen” aimed to aid those homeless into leading better and happier lives through donations and food supply. In the Melbourne CBD, 300 Blankets goes around the CBD and hands out blankets as well as initiating conversation with the homeless to help and understand their situation of living and wellbeing.
Overall, like many of my peers, I found the Knitting for Charity program one that will leave me with a firm grasp on how to knit as well as a deeper understanding about the work of 300 blankets and how they are able to do such beneficial work.
Lucy: As part of the IDEALS program at Ivanhoe Grammar School, students are encouraged to participate in activities that are unique and beneficial to not just yourself, but the world around you. When I found out I was going to learn how to knit, I was confused on how this skill could be applied to my life outside of IDEALS. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that what we would produce in our IDEALS classes would be donated to 300 Blankets. 300 Blankets is an organisation that comes to the aid of homeless Australians. The volunteers supply the homeless with not just blankets, but garments of clothing that include hats, gloves and scarves. As a collective group we all learnt how to knit and create simple but important articles of clothing that I admit I have taken for granted. Our teacher Ms Wilson encouraged us with her patience and obvious passion for the charity organisation. It was an infectious feeling and inspired all students. The IDEALS knitting program was a rewarding experience that I am proud to say I was a part of.
