By JESSE GRAHAM
COMMUNITY members are being asked to pick up a needle and help to put a smile on a child’s face, as Rotary’s November Knit-a-thon sets its sights on East Timor.
The Rotary eClub of Greater Melbourne is running a knitting campaign to make teddies for children in the Bairo Pite Clinic in Dili and Healesville’s Sally Price is lending her needles to the cause.
Ms Price can be found on Healesville’s main street, outside the jewellers, knitting to help create teddies and recruiting other people to the knit-a-thon, with the aim of sending the cuddly toys and supplies to the clinic.
“The clinic is one of the most valuable medical centres in their region – with no supplies,” she said.
“We looked at what we could do, and children here get their teddies when they go into hospital, so we’re knitting these teddies to make their way up to Timor.”
Ms Price said that around 30 people in the local community had been involved in the knit-a-thon so far and that, while the group had no particular fund-raising target, extra funds can be used to send supplies alongside the teddies.
She said that Rotary is sending the teddies over at a cost of $160 per cubic metre and that, after vacuum sealing the teddies, supplies such as towels or sheets can be put in the containers to help the clinic’s patients.
“We get photos of the shipment arriving and to see the kids, with their gorgeous faces and their teddies and the equipment arriving,” Ms Price said.
“The children have very little – a teddy can bring such a smile. This is one of the best hands-on activities.”
To register for the November knit-a-thon, residents can email Sally Price at salathome@bigpond.com and pick up a sponsorship form, or visit the Healesville Jewellers.
After contributing $25 to the Knit-a-thon through sponsorship or donations, the teddy pattern will be given to members with a list of materials.
The Knit-a-thon officially closes on 15 November and all the teddies created will be displayed from 19-22 November, before being shipped off to Timor.
