Monday, July 23, 2012

Knitting & The Compassionate Friends


Ann Hood is on the board of The Compassionate Friends and you really should check out this incredible organization.  See below to read their mission statement to give you a brief intro into this wonderful organization.

Ann invited Karen to teach a Beginning Knitting Class at the 35th Annual Compassionate Friends Conference in Costa Mesa, CA.  Karen flew out with 30 bags, each containing a skein of yarn, knitting needles, a TNNA "Learn to Knit Book" and a handout of useful knitting sites.  

Having never worked with a group that large it seemed a bit daunting, but much to her surprise, several women offered their assistance the day before the class, so Karen, Ann, Cinda and Karen were able to get 29 women and 1 man cast on and knitting - everyone was knitting and it was amazing - what a great group of first time knitters.  Here are some pictures taken by Ann Hood during our class - enjoy!!

Karen - Demonstrating the Cast On

Wife teaching her husband to knit!


The class hard at work
Karen talking about the class and what they would be learning
































Our Mission
The mission of The Compassionate Friends: When a child dies, at any age, the family suffers intense pain and may feel hopeless and isolated. The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

--------------------------------------------------------

The Compassionate Friends was founded over 40 years ago when a chaplain at the Warwickshire Hospital in England brought together two sets of grieving parents and realized that the support they gave each other was better than anything he, as a chaplain, could ever say or provide. Meeting around a kitchen table, the Lawleys and the Hendersons were joined by a bereaved mother and the chaplain, Simon Stephens, and The Society of the Compassionate Friends was born. The Compassionate Friends jumped across the ocean and was established in the United States and incorporated in 1978 in Illinois.

No comments:

Post a Comment