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September 1, 2020
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October 1, 2020
Goodwill gone great!
What started as a project to keep an active community occupied during the Covid-19 lockdown, has been turned into a gesture of goodwill towards healthcare staff at Rubicon Care. And so a knitted teddy project was born.
Throughout the winter, willing volunteers joined forces and collectively knitted 1 480 squares. The volunteers stitched these squares together into blankets and scarves for Ons Tuiste, a fellow elderly care facility in Waterval-Boven.
But after they delivered this special gift in time for Mandela Day on July 18 2020, the needles didn’t stop. “The wool just kept coming,” laughs Rubicon’s general manager, Driekie Heiberg, “We replaced blankets and scarves for teddies.”
Teddies bring PPE and smiles
A simple pattern was distributed. And soon an army of delightful teddies started making their appearance. This time, however, the effort is going towards the purchase of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for the centre’s Care staff.
Globally, the pandemic affected healthcare workers and the elderly disproportionately. So it makes sense that these two groups would look out for each other with the knitted teddy project, Driekie explains. “Our residents just kept on knitting and touched our hearts. They brought in heaps of PPE for those who not only work with our most vulnerable, but are vulnerable themselves.”
About 20 crafters took part and so far, 40 teddies have been completed. The impact of the project far outreached simply keeping idle hands busy, says Driekie. Giving knitters carte blanche with colour and variations on the theme makes it a creative process. “It is fun to see what everybody comes up with,” she smiles. The project’s collaborative nature also forged new friendships and closer bonds between neighbours.
Friends and family have snapped up these little woolly creatures and donated generously to the cause. Those who don’t find a forever home will be donated to GRIP (Greater Rape Intervention Project). Volunteers will use a couple of them (decked out in PPE), for Covid-19 training in Johannesburg.
Lockdown hasn’t been an easy time, Driekie admits. But, she feels that residents found meaning and joy in being productive. The group of knitters has expanded since the initial blanket project and is showing no signs of abating. “Our only issue is to keep the bears under lock and key at night. Because our Memory Care patients may slip past sister Suzanne at night to pinch one.,” she laughs. “One way or another, the teddies make our residents smile every day.”
