Newborns at HHC Bellevue Receive 129 Pairs of Handmade Booties
Dec 17, 2014
New moms at HHC Bellevue Hospital Center and their newborns were visited by some knitting elves on Tuesday, December 16th. Four members of the Stein Senior Center knitting club presented 129 pairs of handmade booties to Bellevue’s Maternal Newborn/Postpartum Mother-Baby unit, to be distributed to newborn babies. The booties were the handiwork of more than a dozen women—members of a knitting group at the senior center located in Kips Bay and started by social worker Sandy Daniels more than two decades ago.
“Babies are made out of love, and so were these precious handmade gifts. It was wonderful to witness the joy on the faces of the moms and also on the faces of the gracious volunteer knitters as they presented our new moms with tiny booties for their newborns. This is exactly what the holiday season is about—giving,” said Rohnie D. Williams HN, SAFE, CLC, Head Nurse, Postpartum-Mother Baby, Bellevue Hospital Center.
The idea to support Bellevue’s tiniest patients came from Gloria Barker, another member of the knitting club and former member of Bellevue’s Community Advisory Board. She said the knitting group worked on the bootie project for about two months and all the ladies got involved in it, making dozens of booties each.
“All of us in the knitting club are very blessed,” stated Daniels. “Every year we believe it’s important to give back to those who might not be as blessed. It was so special that we got to actually distribute our handmade creations and see some of the new moms and their precious new babies enjoying them.”
The Stein Senior Center knitting club meets Tuesdays from 10:00-11:30 AM.