Marquis residents learn to knit and send 200 hats for February babies

Doris Terhorst's grandson was born with a heart condition, so when she got the opportunity to knit hats for babies born during American Heart Month, she jumped at it.

Terhorst and seven other Marquis Forest Grove residents spent a combined 262 hours hand-knitting hats to donate to babies born in February, American Heart Month.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the Children's Heart Foundation called for volunteers to help raise awareness about heart-healthy habits and congenital heart defects. Little Hats, Big Hearts™ is a national request for hand-knitted or crocheted hats for babies born next month — all in red, of course, like a real heart.

The Marquis residents -- Donna Mae Shelton, Gladys Pagel, Terhorst, Esther Chalmers, Vivian McDowell, Geri Nelson and Anna Marie Moore -- spent their free holiday time knitting, with some even learning to knit for the first time through a few on-site classes with the help of community volunteers George and Donna Goff. They far surpassed their initial goal of 100, knitting right up until the Jan. 4 deadline and donating 204 hats, which will be given to babies at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital and Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center.

"I like to learn and try new things," said Galdys Pagel, a Marquis resident. "When I heard about making these little red hats for the American Heart Association I thought, 'How nice it would be to have something I could do here in my apartment and know that what I was doing was going toward a great cause and I wasn't just wasting my time.'"

With congenital heart defects seen in at least 125 out of every 1,000 babies born per year, the Little Hats, Big Hearts™ campaign aims to raise awareness about the symptoms of these defects and provide new mothers with tips to pass heart-healthy habits on to their children.

"I love to do crafts and then I started picturing all those little babies in red hats and knew it was something I wanted to help with," said Donna Mae Shelton. "I knew the outcome would be something great."

Terhorst's grandson had his first surgery when he was 10 months old. He is now 2. "I'm so thankful for the American Heart Association and all they do," she said.

Staff:

Jennifer Cook

Ginger Norconk

Heidi Krieck

Janice Bamford

LaRayne Barrios

Jan Lee

Community voluteers:

George and Donna Goff