Let us sew, let us sew, let us sew!

If you can avoid ever having to go to the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute  please do, but it is a wonderful place if you or a loved one needs their help. It is professional and friendly from the pleasant drivers that pick you up at your car to the desk attendants and the medial staff.  

Two ways that I appreciate that they go above and beyond are:
1. Promoting Livestrong Cancer Recovery https://lancasterymca.org/livestrong-at-the-ymca/ - a national program at the YMCA which is free of charge to the participant as well as a workout buddy. The City YMCA program is great! 
2. Providing handmade pillows for mastectomy patients to use after surgery. They often come with a hand written note and are valuable for physical and emotional comfort.

Two years ago I started making these pillows as a way to give back. That progressed into the Lancaster City YMCA giving our local Livestrong Group a room to sew in about once a month. We create an assembly line to produce the pillows that meant so much to so many of us,  all the while catching up with past members and getting to know new ones.

My task is to create kits for the pillows so the process runs smoothly. This is where my teaching skills kick into gear.  I got a bit carried away at the recent sale at Joann's Fabrics. 

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 For two weeks my machine embroidered the blessings on the straps (our version of the the handwritten note), and the ribbon on the front panel.  Now we are prepped for the year, freeing me to handle any work that comes my way knowing the pillows are good to go.  

This is a great service project but it is all of our hopes that there will come a day that the pillows will not be needed.