Olympians receive a special gift of warmth By Katie V. Jones

Olympians receive a special gift of warmth

Westminster-based Hugs and Stiches knits its way into community's hearts By Katie V. Jones Posted www.explorecarroll.com 2/18/09

When Sandi Schneider was 8, she awoke on Christmas morning to find her home's front hallway filled with toys and presents for her and her two brothers.

The gifts had not come from her family, but from complete strangers.

"My mother died when I was very young just before Christmas," Schneider explains of her childhood in Pittsburgh.

"My family grew up so poor," she said. "We had nothing."

While at the time she didn't think anything of it, today she is overwhelmed with the generosity that a local organization showered upon her family.

Today, Schneider is "warm and well fed" and wants nothing but to help others — just as she was helped those many years ago.

"I have just always wanted to do something to give back to the community," said Schneider, explaining the main purpose behind, Hugs and Stitches, an organization she helped create.

The local group provides knitted and crocheted items for Shepherd's Staff and other organizations. This month marks the weekly group's fourth anniversary.

"We typically knit between 800 to 1,000 scarves, 300 to 400 hats and about 100 pairs of mittens for Shepherd's Staff," Schneider said, adding with a chuckle, "We have only one little old lady who does mittens."

While Shepherd's Staff is the group's biggest project, Hugs and Stitches creates various items for other organizations and groups.

Recently, members made more than two dozen maroon and white scarves for Carroll County's Special Olympics team in preparation for the Olympians' ski trip.

"I thought it was fantastic, I thought it was wonderful they did this," said Karen Koenigsberg, whose daughter, Stephanie Carpegna, is a member of the ski team and a recipient of a scarf.

"This is the first year they've done it (for the team)," Koenigsberg added.

Every Tuesday evening about a dozen of the group's 20-plus members gather to knit or crochet items for the group's charities.

"Any yarn you take has to be made into one of our programs," Schneider said of the group's simple rules. "Anything made at our group (meeting) has to go to the group's programs."

Schneider provides all the yarn, though the group does accept donations. Members bring their own hooks and needles.

The charity recipients aren't the only ones who benefit from the sessions, however.

"We get benefits, too," said Rosalie Duncan, who has been a member almost from the start. "I like the camaraderie and the opportunity to learn different stitches and patterns."

Schneider noted that the group is not "a teaching group," but she acknowledges that members do "show and tell" what they've done over the week.

"One girl makes so much it is beyond words," Schneider said. "They're just a great bunch of girls in their mid-20s to late-80s, every age group you could possibly want -- but you would never know there was any age difference."

Even members who can't come every week often send in their completed items with someone.

"I have met some nice people," Duncan said. "We enjoy the giving part of it and helping some body else, and also enjoy the learning part and having a good time. It's a win-win situation."

"I'm just thrilled," Schneider said of her group. "They are all just so dedicated. They're there every week and turn in as much as they can."

For more information on Hugs and Stitches, contact Sandi Schneider at 410-848-8860 or e-mail crafter359@aol.com.

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20090218 Olympians receive a special gift of warmth by KJones
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Art http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/