A Canmore group is knitting together tiny stuffed toys to bring children joy. The Origin Knitters ladies get together once a week to create Izzy Dolls, or comfort dolls, in the Origin at Spring Creek recreation room.
A Canmore group is knitting together tiny stuffed toys to bring children joy.
The Origin Knitters ladies get together once a week to create Izzy Dolls, or comfort dolls, in the Origin at Spring Creek recreation room.
As the club knits the little multi-coloured woolen dolls, they are making more than a small toy; it's a special possession for children caught in the middle of conflict, who have been affected by natural disasters or live in developing parts of the world.
And for 20 years, members of the Canadian Forces, healthcare professionals and the RCMP have acted as the caring hand that gives out the special toys to communities.
“When doctors go out to foreign countries, they bring a medical pack with them and instead of filling up the boxes with styrofoam, they put the Izzy Dolls in them,” said Laura Dowling, life enrichment coordinator at Origin at Spring Creek.
The medical kits have primary healthcare essentials and medicines inside.
“As they're treating the patients, they give the Izzy Dolls to the children and these are obviously children who don't really have anything.”
The thoughtful Izzy Doll idea originated with Master Corporal Mark Isfeld, a Canadian who was killed removing landmines in Croatia in 1994.
While being on duty overseas, Isfeld noticed that children in some parts of the world had nothing or very little.
He mentioned the heartbreaking story to his mother, Carol, who then knitted together the first batch of wool dolls for Isfeld to give away to underprivileged children.
The dolls were given the moniker Izzy Dolls by Canadian Forces engineers whom Isfeld had served with.
Two decades later, more than 100,000 children in 100 countries have received the colourful dolls as the legacy continues with volunteers.
“We wanted to start a knitting club and we wanted a focus and this seemed to be a really good focus for us,” said Dowling.
The knitters began making the Izzy Dolls a few weeks ago and have a pile of about 35 ready to make their big journey.
At this time, Origin Knitters are asking anyone in the community able to donate any knitting supplies, such as wool, to Origins at Spring Creek at 808 Spring Creek Road in Canmore.
“It's a nice, simple project and it really makes a big difference to the kid who gets them. It' something really easy that makes a big difference,” said Dowling.
