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Pamela in Michigan donated 20 Pals to her local church that will make their way to Haiti. |
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Happy Spring!
This has felt like a very long winter, but we all know that brighter days are coming. Whether the weather cooperates or not, it is our duty and privilege to make brighter days a possibility for the people we serve.
When the world seems gloomy, social media is overwhelming, and the news cycle devastating, we, as makers, creators, and craftivists, have the ability to instill real change. You each make a difference when you knit a Pal on the sofa in the evening. When you crochet a baby blanket, you are sending love into the universe. And when you struggle through a finger puppet, you can rest assured you are helping parents communicate with their children.
The important thing to remember is that it all matters. The little things matter. Every stitch matters. Every person matters. And that is why we continue to work to bring warmth, love and dignity into the world and into the hands of the people who need it more than ever. Keep at it my friends. Your Peace Pal may not change the world but it could change the world for one lucky child. |
Didn't get a chance to see the Revolutionary Craftivism workshop? Click play and check it out on our YouTube channel! |
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Here are some of the most recent delivery updates I've received. And exciting news-we have a new method to report your local deliveries! You can now use THIS FORM to report your deliveries. This form will live on the Volunteer page of our website, which is HERE. Find it under "Make a local delivery"!
- Pam donated 20 Peace Pals in Michigan that are heading to Haiti.
- Sandra has been busy in Missouri sending hats, scarves, and baby blankets across the state.
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Denver Health needed 384 hats to ensure their patients experiencing homelessness can stay warm when discharged.
- Mary Sue donated 45 Peace Pals in California
Thank you to everyone who sent their items to Denver or made a local delivery. As Peace Pal extraordinaire, Barbara, would say, carry on...
With gratitude, Kelly Wulf, Executive Director |
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Try a Baby Pal! Peace Pal Make-A-Long Final Workshop
Baby Pals are beginner-friendly and fast! Evelyn will offer tips and techniques that will have you joining in the fun of making these little dolls.
We have had three wonderful Peace Pal Make-A-Longs and they are receiving rave reviews! This workshop is completely free and open to everyone. Even if you do not want to make a Peace Pal, but would like the company of fellow crafters, please join us for the next workshop! Use the button on the right to register! You can check out the past workshops on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@knitting4peace629/videos
April 9, 2025 (Baby Pals, bibs, and slouchy sweater)
All virtual workshops are 4-530pm (Mountain Time) |
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Community Member of the Month: Mary Ann Bash, the Family Puppet Project of Parents for Parity |
Mary Ann Bash is a woman with a mission—to support families in better understanding the power of language and the enormous difference that talking with infants can make in later success in school. After a long career working in Title 1 programs, and developing her own “Each One, Teach One” program, it was a meeting with Dr. Gretchen Domek, one of K4P’s longtime Community Partners, that introduced Mary Ann to Knitting4Peace.
Gretchen had successfully used finger puppets in her medical clinic and programs in other countries for many years. Through their collaboration, the Family Puppet Project was born, and Mary Ann began to use puppets with families with young infants while conducting research on the effectiveness of the approach.
The results of the research were overwhelmingly positive as parents learned about the importance of language, became more comfortable in talking with their babies, and increased their use of language dramatically. Dads especially seemed to benefit from using finger puppets to talk with their babies as it gave them the freedom to be silly. They were excited when their babies responded positively, with one remarking “My baby likes me!.”
Mary Ann shared a special story of one Mom, who was quite shy and felt hesitant about talking with her baby. She picked up a puppet in the shape of a woman and remembered an older relative in Mexico where she grew up. Her memories prompted her to begin telling her baby stories from her childhood. The Mom saw such positive engagement with her baby that it helped her turn a corner. |
Family Puppet Project participants |
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The Family Puppet Project now operates as a program of Parents for Parity. Mary Ann and teams of parent leaders meet regularly with families and use specially developed tip sheets to support the use of the finger puppets. It’s not just parents but also older children who are involved as they are encouraged to use the puppets to talk with their siblings. This often leads the older children to tell their own stories, building their language and cognitive skills.
Families in the Project choose the puppets they want to take home, often preferring those that resemble people and are racially diverse. The octopi, hearts and animals are also popular choices. When the program runs out of K4P finger puppets, they purchase “store-bought” puppets but sometimes hear complaints as both the adults and the children prefer the handmade ones. One mother remarked that not only are families able to wash the handmade puppets, but “They are made with love and you can tell the difference.”
Thank you, Mary Ann, for allowing us to be part of your most important work! We are grateful to have you as a Community Partner and will do our best to make sure the new babies in your program have lovingly made finger puppets. For more information on Mary Ann’s program, including articles and videos in both Spanish and English, please see the Parents for Parity website. You can also view the Tip Sheet Here.
Ready to try finger puppets? Find community-approved patterns at https://www.knitting4peace.org/patterns. |
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Consistency is Key: Peace Pals For many children, one of the most important aspects of Peace Pals is that they are able to “see themselves” in their new friends. Because of this, we ask that all Peace Pals have realistic skin tones and eyes.
Many of our experienced makers recommend using Skein Tones from Lion Brand. We often have plenty of the lighter colored Pals so it’s most helpful to use the medium and darker brown skin tones. When it comes to hair color, anything goes and Peace Pals with wild hair colors, as well as more typical hair colors in a variety of styles, are welcome. Peace Pals with glasses and those with hijabs are always in high demand.
For more information on making Peace Pals, please see the videos from our many Peace Pal Make-A-Longs on our Knitting4Peace YouTube Channel. The final Make-A-Long Event is on April 9th, from 4:00-5:30 PM. Register for free HERE
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Small baby blankets and Peace Pals |
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Item Requests: Peace Pals, Small Baby Blankets
It’s hard to believe, but summer will be here before we know it and we typically receive many requests for Peace Pals to accompany individuals and organizations traveling abroad in the summer months. We also have had difficulty keeping up with our ongoing requests for Peace Pals so we can definitely use many more.
If you enjoy making baby blankets, please consider making small-sized blankets (26”-30”) as they are always in high demand. These smaller sized blankets are requested monthly by hospitals for infants leaving the Neonatal Intensive Care Units and by our international partners who share them with families in other countries. The small sizes are important for parents who use public transportation, as well as to conserve space for international travel.
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Who are the Peace Makers?
Peace Makers are friends who choose to make a monthly donation to Knitting4Peace. There are several levels of being a Peace Maker and you can choose what best suits you! Each level is named after a revolutionary crafter who we find inspiring. You can learn all about them HERE
I already donate- why does being a Peace Maker matter?
Monthly donations, no matter the size, are what sustain K4P. It is regular, consistent revenue that we can rely on and utilize each month. We appreciate any and all donations whenever someone chooses, but it is good to know we can rely on the monthly Peace Makers to sustain our programming each month. What benefit do I get if I am a monthly Peace Maker?
There are tons of benefits! From workshops and prize drawing entries, to useful and thoughtful K4P merchandise. It all depends on what level you choose to give. We had our first Peace Makers Workshop with the History of Revolutionary Crafters and it was a hit! However, the biggest benefit is knowing you are sustaining a very small nonprofit every single month. How do I join?
It is easy! Simply go to https://www.coloradogives.org/donate/Knitting4Peace
Once on the webpage, make sure to select "Monthly Donation" instead of "One-time Donation". Once you complete the donation, we get an email notification and will sign you up for your level! If you are not an online person, that's ok! Just let us know that you plan to send a monthly check and we will be on the look out for that. We are SO grateful for our existing monthly donors and we simply couldn't get through each year without you! Thank you for your belief in our mission! |
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Please note: Our donation intake is run solely by volunteers. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to immediately acknowledge each package as it arrives. Remember, you can always track your package with your carrier.
Remember, mailing costs qualify as tax-deductible nonprofit donations. Keep your receipts! Due to a lack of storage, K4P cannot accept yarn donations unless they are new and still in the original wrapper.
Thank you for understanding. |
| Mail or bring items to: 2600 N. Leyden St., Denver, CO 80207 New Drop-Off hours: Monday, TuesdayThursday, 9am-12pm The church is no longer staffed by an assistant so please be sure to go during the timeframe mentioned above.
Ring the doorbell and you will be let into the church to drop off your items. EACH mailed box or dropped-off bag must include a note with the DATE, NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, E-MAIL, AND PEACE POD.
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Special thanks to Park Hill Congregational Church for their continued support and allowing us to share their space in Denver. |
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HAVE A QUESTION ON HOW TO MAKE SOMETHING? ASK ARNA! |
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Are you ready to support the mission of Knitting4Peace?
Donate using the button below! |
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Contact Arna@knitting4peace.org with questions about patterns and guidelines. Check out our social media posts for the latest news (links below). If you have questions about deliveries or donations please email info@knitting4peace.org. ALL donations sustain our work. Donate online or mail checks to:
2600 Leyden Street, Denver, CO 80207
Donations to Knitting4Peace are tax-deductible. |
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