Bundles of Christmas joy: Carmichaels high schooler delivers homemade gifts to Rolling Meadows residents
Courtesy of Jim Lemley
Camryn Lemley, center right, delivers a handmade blanket to a resident at Rolling Meadows in Waynesburg Monday evening. Lemley brought holiday cheer and gifts to residents as part of her community service project, a labor of love.
Courtesy of Jim Lemley
Camryn Lemley proudly displays a handcrafted blanket in her Carmichaels home, one of more than 100 she made as part of a high school service project. The sophomore delivered gifts of blankets, smiles and other donations to Rolling Meadows residents ahead of Christmas.
Camryn Lemley stands ready to spread joy in the form of handmade blankets to residents at Rolling Meadows Monday. Lemley crafted more than 100 blankets for residents, who were delighted to receive the heartfelt Christmas gift.
Courtesy of Camryn Lemley
Camryn Lemley, left, and her teacher, Nichole Morecraft, stand surrounded by the more than 100 blankets Lemley handcrafted as part of a community service project class at Carmichaels Area Junior/Senior High School. Lemley, her parents and Morecraft delivered the blankets to Rolling Meadows residents Mopnday.
Camryn Lemley, center, wheels bundles of blankets through Rolling Meadows Monday evening, where she delivered the handmade gifts to residents.
Christmas came early to residents at Rolling Meadows Health Care Center in Waynesburg, where Carmichaels Area Junior/Senior High School sophomore Camryn Lemley delivered gifts and smiles Monday evening.
“I didn’t know a blanket could give that reaction to people,” said Lemley, who presented more than 100 handmade blankets to Rolling Meadows residents as part of a class assignment.
With the guidance of teacher Nichole Morecraft, Lemley spent the recent nine-week grading period pursuing a community service project. The idea – handcrafted blankets for older adults – stemmed from the sophomore’s affection for family and blankets.
“Family is a big part of me as a person. In my family, blankets are just, like, our thing,” she said. “I still have mine (baby blanket), and everyone in my family has a blanket, so I thought, why not do something good with blankets? When I thought of a service project, I thought of making blankets.”
After calculating the cost of materials needed to produce enough blankets for every Rolling Meadows resident, Lemley realized her project was a grander undertaking than first expected. To successfully pull off the merry assignment, she would need to fundraise.
“I required her to write a letter about her story, asking for donations,” said Morecraft. “She went out and got donations of fabric, monetary donations. She would bring fabric to class, spend her class time making blankets. It was incredible to see her work for nine weeks, and work hard, and have the dedication to hit the pavement and not require me to hold her hand and see her vision come to life. Very rarely do you see these little ideas actually come to a full end. It was probably the best Christmas gift, the best part of the season, for me.”
It was the jolliest part of the season for Rolling Meadows residents, too.
“(Lemley) is a delightful young woman who is really a go-getter and really thinking of the community. It was just the sweetest,” said Terri Davin, activities assistant at Rolling Meadows, who was there when Lemley dropped off the blankets. “The residents were just so receptive to having this intergenerational interaction. Some just were crying, I mean just teared up, very thankful that she thought of them and of the facility itself.”
Along with blankets, Lemley delivered much-needed items for the activities and therapy departments – a little something extra made possible by local small businesses, family and friends who answered her donation letter generously, she said. During drop-off, teen visited with residents, sharing smiles, laughs and hugs.
“I didn’t think that I had the capability to do it,” Lemley said, adding she’s glad she finished the project. “They were all very thankful. I loved seeing all their reactions. It was a nice feeling I got delivering these blankets.”
While Lemley delighted in delivering a small joy this holiday season, her father was moved by his daughter’s act of kindness.
“It was very overwhelming, taking blankets to all the residents,” said Jim Lemley. “All the residents were overwhelmed by the gratitude my daughter gave them. It was very heartwarming.”
Davin said when she clocked out Monday, residents were snuggled up beneath their handmade blankets, a made-with-love gift from a “delightful” high school student.
“We’ve had some great Christmas things going on, programs, entertainment and different schools coming in. This, it was like the cherry on the cake,” Davin said. “It was just spectacular.”