"As a child, my greatest desire was to help others. This motivation was behind almost every action, I simply overflowed with empathy. That desire only strengthened as I aged, until my first year of high school, when I finally put this desire into action. Except this action took shape in an unconventional manner. I had begun learning to crochet, mainly stuffed bears and bunnies, and it reminded me how I loved stuffed animals when I was a child. I wanted to be able to share the joy I experienced playing with them with the children in my community. 

I contacted the City of Ventura and began donating my crocheted animals to foster children during the holiday seasons. Seeing the happiness my stuffed animals brought to these children and receiving thank you cards after my donations, I wanted to do even more for this group of children. I began crocheting beanie hats and scarves for the cold winter months, to help keep the homeless and foster children warm, and donating them through the City of Ventura. 

To allow others to experience the fun of crocheting and benefit from my experience, I began working with Kids 4 Kids, an organization which is made up of homes for troubled teenage girls. After speaking with a representative for the organization, I became their crochet teacher on Friday afternoons. It was often difficult to keep their attention and help everyone simultaneously, but seeing their excitement to learn every week made me feel grateful for the chance to brighten their days and give them a way to express themselves in a creative outlet. Some of the girls in these homes have no family to care for them, so it was important to me to be able to show them that they were important and that I cared about them as individuals. 

With the holidays swiftly approaching again in my final year of high school, my Christmas looks a little different from shopping for family gifts and wrapping presents. I am projecting to spend fifteen hours per week on my crochet projects, hoping to double the number of beanie hats and stuffed animals I am able to donate from last year. But in the end, that’s the real gift: having the ability to share your gifts with others."