They come decorated with polka dots, toy trains and Snoopy. The Crawfordsville Kiwanis Club is bringing cheer to local children in these uncertain times with handmade comfort dolls.
As Hoosiers hunker down at home, about 20 Kiwanis members and their children or grandchildren have been stuffing the dolls using recycled fabric. About 100 dolls were collected.
The dolls will be distributed to the Family Crisis Shelter, Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center in Lebanon and the Department of Child Services. Dolls may also be given to local law enforcement and fire departments.
The project has been a regular part of the Kiwanis’s global mission of serving children. Each year, the Lafayette club makes about 1,000 dolls, which have been given to the local Indiana State Police post.
Lafayette’s members were inspired by a club in Japan that distributes the same amount of dolls in a month.
Once he measures out the stuffing for each doll, Crawfordsville president-elect Gary Behling delivers the bags to participating members, who use their own fabric.
“We had a lady at our bazaar last year who realized what we were doing and she was selling a lot of that stuff,” Behling said, “and she ended up giving my wife a whole bunch of it so she could make dolls with it.”
Behling’s wife, Terri, sews up the dolls before they are handed out. Some dolls are left plain for children to decorate with fabric markers.
The club accepts donations of fabric or money to purchase materials. Reach out to the club by searching Crawfordsville Kiwanis on Facebook or email Behling at gary@gary
behling.com.
