Nurses gather virtually to create blankets for kids in hospitals

In partnership with Fleece & Thank You (F&TY), Michigan’s largest provider of comfort care to hospitalized children – Nurses Inspire Nurses (NIN) is hosting a blanket-making event Jan. 28, 2021.

“As a pediatric nurse I know how much getting a soft, warm blanket can mean to a child,” said Cat Golden, BSN, founder of Nurses Inspire Nurses. “I love connecting with this community, even if it has to be virtually for now, and this is a meaningful and hands-on way for us to give back and connect with each other. We are fortunate to have so many community-minded members who are excited to take time out of their busy schedules to participate in our blanket-making event.”

Those interested in participating in the blanket-making event from the comfort and safety of their own homes, can order a Blanket Making Kit online through the F&TY website and secure a link to join the event, which will be held from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. For additional information, participants can contact Sarah from the NIN team at sarah@nursesinspirenurses.com or F&TY at info@fleeceandthankyou.org.

Those unable to attend the event, but wish to help, can make a donation through the group fundraising page. Every $25 donated goes toward the making of one blanket for a child in the hospital.

“We are grateful to Nurses Inspire Nurses for helping us meet our goal of providing blankets to the 30,000 children who every year face extended hospital treatments,” said Nicholas Kristock, founder and executive director of Fleece & Thank You. “For many of these young patients and their families, this is a room they do not want to be in and a diagnosis they do not understand. It’s not their bed, not their sheets, not their pillow and not their ‘normal.’ We can give these kids and their families one of the first reasons to smile during an uncertain time and one of the first reasons to have hope when they see something bright and colorful waiting for them on the bed.”

F&TY was established to create a meaningful and lasting connection that lets children and young adults in the hospital know they are not alone. Through the company’s blanket-making program, it’s on a mission to collect 30,000 blankets annually – which is the number of children hospitalized each year in Michigan. Even more than color and comfort, Kristock believes that every child deserves connection. Every blanket provided also has a personal video message attached to it from the blanket maker to the recipient in the hospital, who can then send a “thank-you” message back to the maker.

Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, Nurses Inspire Nurses is a small business that offers merchandise, events, meet-ups and free resources for nurses to inspire and uplift themselves and each other. Today, its community is filled with thousands of nurses nationwide who believe in supporting each other and helping to make their workplaces and lives better. For more information, visit NursesInspireNurses.com.

Established in 2015, Fleece & Thank You is a nonprofit organization that makes fleece blankets with encouraging video messages for children who have been hospitalized. For more information, visit FleeceAndThankYou.org.