Wednesday, November 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
15
Heartwarmers make a difference across region
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
What began with one
warm-hearted woman of
faith, Mary Tomjack of Bend,
making a few fleece cut-and-
tie blankets as samples, has
grown in four years into a
flourishing 501(c)(3) non-
profit called Heartwarmers,
that covers children, seniors,
the homeless, and cancer
patients in Central Oregon
with love, warmth, and
comfort.
Groups of volunteers —
now numbering 125 — in
Bend, Sisters, and Redmond
gather twice a month to cre-
ate fleece blankets, teddy
bears, scarves, knitted and
crocheted hats and ear warm-
ers, dog toys, soft children’s
blocks, and any number of
specialty items created from
the scraps left from making
the blankets.
“Not one scrap of fleece
goes to waste,” Tomjack
likes to say.
On Saturday, October 28,
Tomjack gathered volunteers
from all three groups together
at Sisters City Hall for a spe-
cial morning of making blan-
kets as part of national Make
A Difference Day. Tomjack
had contacted the Court
Appointed Special Advocates
(CASA) of Central Oregon
office to offer blankets and
teddy bears to the children
who are being served by the
CASA volunteers.
CASA Development
Director Michelle Solley was
at City Hall that Saturday
morning to experience first-
hand the love that created
the blankets and teddy bears
to be given to abused and
neglected children by their
CASA volunteers during
their first meeting together.
During that initial meet-
ing, it is extremely important
for the volunteer to make a
connection with the child.
The soft fleece blanket and
cuddly teddy bear can be the
very things that open a defen-
sive heart to the caring adult
who will speak for the child
in the courtroom, represent-
ing the child’s best interests,
and advocating for them until
they are placed in a safe and
permanent home.
While never soliciting
for one dime of donations,
Heartwarmers has been able
to procure fabric, yarn, and
other supplies for their proj-
ects. An anonymous donor
has paid the rent on their
small office in Sisters for
the past two years. The gen-
erosity of the volunteers
and people who are touched
by the goodness of the
Heartwarmers’ mission keeps
the lights on and the door
open. That mission is simple
– enriching the lives of others
with heartwarming gifts.
The statistics over the
Not one scrap of
fleece goes to waste.
— Mary Tomjack
last four years are stagger-
ing. Since 2013, they have
donated 3,618 blankets
— and another 75 will be
donated this month. John
and his mother, Joyce, have
crafted 1,539 knitted teddy
bears that playfully coordi-
nate with the blankets. Knit
and fleece hats for premature
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
Knitted bears and blankets going to CASA of Central Oregon from Make a Difference Day work by Heartwarmers.
babies, cancer patients
undergoing chemotherapy,
and homeless youth and
adults total 1,229. Scarves
made from fleece left over
from the blankets total 296
with 125 more waiting to be
donated to Meals on Wheels
for Christmas gifts that will
be presented in sewn cloth
bags made by Heartwarmers
volunteers.
Lap robes and walker cad-
dies for seniors and hospice
patients, and infant blankets
that are edged with crochet-
ing from donated yarn num-
ber 901. Cloth “heart tugger”
dog toys and soft blocks for
toddlers are constructed from
leftover fleece scraps. The
total number of gifts donated
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|
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reports of suspected child
abuse or neglect in Central
Oregon each year. Last year,
CASA advocates provided a
voice of hope for 565 chil-
dren in Central Oregon com-
munities who spent at least
one day in foster care due to
alleged abuse or neglect.
To join Heartwarmers
or make a donation call
541-408-8505 or email
hwb.heartwarmers@gmail.
com. Visit their website
at www.heartwarmersco.
org. Donations can be made
through PayPal on the web-
site or by check sent to 178
S. Elm St., #105, Sisters, OR
97759.
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Tomjack chose the CASA
program as their focus for
Make A Difference Day to
honor Jean Thurber, one
of the founding directors
of Heartwarmers in 2013.
Before moving to Central
Oregon, she was a CASA
advocate for 10 years in
Portland. Thurber succumbed
to cancer in June of 2016.
The gathering on October
28 made 18 colorful fleece
blankets in two hours and
paired them with coordinat-
ing teddy bears to help ease
the heartbreak of abused
Central Oregon children.
There are more than 2,000
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