Kate and I were so excited to welcome have you any Wool?, a knitting shop in Berkley, Michigan, to teach a Virtual Education Program at the DRMM Genesis House! When COVID hit back in March, we didn’t think we would be able to teach any classes in person at the shelters. We immediately started to think how we could still help these people with educational programs, including our yearly sewing classes! After a lot of research, we purchased a smart screen TV, all the mounting/connection hardware and the Facebook Portal hardware…and now we could bring Virtual Programs INTO the shelter without ever having someone come in and teach.
On Friday, October 30 we held our FIRST finger knitting program! From the have you any Wool? shop in Berkley, the instructor, Melanie, taught the 5 students and the 2 of us how to finger knit! The owner of have you any Wool?, Mrs. Dean, was nice enough to donate bags, yarn and a pin to each of the students. Melanie did a great job of setting up her camera so we could easily follow along each step on the screen to learn how to finger knit a scarf…and by the end of class, the women had each made a scarf or a knitted necklace. The students loved learning something new and were already excited to teach their friends and make gifts for others! They asked if we could do the class again, and this time they wanted to also learn how to knit and crotchet with the knitting needles. We will definitely be expanding this program!
Next, we have some exciting plans for dance-fitness and motivational speaking virtual programs! We are always looking for businesses and people to do a Virtual Program. Living in a shelter can be stressful, so if we can provide an outlet for them to invest in themselves…we are more than happy to set it up! Please email us at info@mkblanketwraps.org if you have a program you would like to discuss.
Lastly, we have been hard at work preparing blanket wraps for the upcoming winter season. We work all summer to make sure we have an inventory ready to go. The weather is going to turn quickly, and with COVID affecting so many people this year, we expect to be handing out more blanket wraps than usual. Our goal is to help as many people as possible and keep handing out until the weather is warm again.
We couldn’t do what we do without the support from our followers, friends and family! PLEASE follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and TONS of photos of what we are up to. We are always in need of donations and we appreciate any amount you can give to help us continue with Blanket Wraps and Virtual Programs. The economic effects COVID has hit the homeless community hard, so please help us help them!
Mackenzie and Kate
