600 Shawls, Blankets Made For Local Nurses

BARRINGTON, IL — More than 600 shawls and blankets as well as 800 crocheted hearts were presented to nurses with Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington Monday.

The handmade gifts poured into the hospitals from across the country in recent months after the hospital's volunteer auxiliary put a call-out for the items, Kristen Johnson

manager of public affairs for Advocate Health Care, told Patch. The crocheted shawls and blankets take about 10 hours each to create.

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“The shawls are a tangible sign of the connection between the community, the knitter and the person who receives it,” said Lia Douglas, a volunteer at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “I hope that the nurses see the caring and appreciation that the community has for them, especially this year.”

The donated items came to the hospital from crocheters as far away as New Jersey, California and Arizona. The shawls and blankets were given to Advocate staff on Monday as part of National Nurses Week and came with a heartfelt ‘thank you’ note and a wish for each nurse: “Stay warm and out of harm’s way."