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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Four years of friendship yields 1,000 gift blankets

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published March 21, 2008

Kristen Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Among the many women who have worked on blankets over the years are (from left) Mary Anne Fortunate Hathaway, host Chris Rosa, Sherry Brown, Dorothy Glasgow, Jacobe Schalk and Linda Silagy, all friends or invited by friends or family members.

Rochester Hills — When you come to Chris Rosa’s house for blanket-making night, don’t bother ringing the doorbell — just let yourself in. Kick off your shoes, say hello to your friends, introduce yourself to the new faces, and grab a plate of whatever is making the house smell so delicious.

Once you’ve been to Rosa’s and she shows you where everything is, “you’re on your own,” she laughs.

But the wonderful thing is — you’re not.

You’re now part of a group of women, the Tie One On Blanket Group, who dedicate one night a month to making fleece blankets for patients at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, in Detroit. You’re also part of a group who prays for each other, lends support through the hard times, shares much laughter, and is a witness to the Holy Spirit at work through others.

Rosa said the group, now in its fifth year, ranges in age from teens to 80, and everywhere in between, including some families or students logging service hours for confirmation projects. Nearly 60 women have come and gone over the years, including about one to two dozen regulars. Many, but not all, are Catholic.

Rosa, who attends a mix of St. Hugo of the Hills Parish, Bloomfield Hills, St. Anastasia Parish, Troy, and St. Andrew Parish, Rochester, said the group got started when she attended a Shower of Love, a baby shower where guests bring unwrapped gifts to fill the closet at Children’s Hospital. The shower was organized with the help of Cathy Hesse, a lifelong member of St. Mary of Redford Parish, Detroit and grade-school friend of Rosa’s, who is also a fellow blanket-maker.

Then, after Rosa had surgery herself, a friend brought over a cozy blanket and “the light bulb went off,” she said.

Kristen Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Chris Rosa gets a pizza dough ready for the oven during a recent blanket-making night at her home.

And they have been making blankets ever since.

On a typical blanket night, the kitchen is the house’s first hot spot, as introductions go around to unfamiliar faces and women catch up with what’s been going on in each other’s lives. Women sit where they can find a seat — around the kitchen or the dining room table — before heading to the house’s second hot spot, the basement, which transforms into a kind of friendly blanket-making factory.

Phyllis Schalk, a member of St. Joseph Parish, Lake Orion, who has perfect blanket-night attendance, said that after more than four years of work, the group has completed 1,000 blankets, a long way from their goal of 100 the first year.

The women use both bulk fleece and fleece blanket-making kits now available in stores, depending on what’s on sale at the fabric store when they go to stock up. They keep an eye out for a variety of patterns for girls and boys, and for all ages — Mickey Mouse, Barbie, jungle animals, sports, race cars, ballet shoes. But don’t mention the word “tiger” — the women will groan and reminisce about the many, many tiger-themed blankets they grew weary of after picking up a bunch on sale.

“You try to pick out something that appeals to you,” Schalk said.

Women may choose to purchase their own fleece or contribute toward its purchase, but all Rosa really asks of them is to bring their own scissors. The regulars know to watch for fabric sales and special coupons at the major fabric stores.

Kristen Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic Chris Rosa’s mother, Vickie Cimino, and her niece, Alexandria Cimino, 14, work on tying the ends of a Mickey Mouse blanket.

As they work, the pile in the basement grows, and Rosa brings them to Children’s Hospital when she hears from them that they’re running low. How many blankets get completed in a night depend on how many women show up — homemade pizza night brings in well more than the average, for example, although all the women rave about whatever Rosa cooks.

After the women have had their fill of making blankets, at times into the early morning, they head back upstairs to the dessert table — so expansive that several women joke, “Is it Lent?” By the time the women leave for the night they know those blankets are going to make that many people happy, Schalk said. “This is a ministry,” she said. “It’s a way to give back. We don’t know to whom the blankets go — we know they go forward.”

The group also prays for each other’s hardships and illnesses. Rosa said as a result of the group, she’s now more aware of people who need help and how everyone is connected.

“It’s not a blanket group, it’s a prayer group,” she said.

Flo Katroscik, a member of St. Clement Parish, Centerline, said her own niece received a blanket during a hospital stay. “I love doing this for the kids,” she said. “It’s just a good night of camaraderie, good food and a good purpose.”

Linda Silagy, a member of St. Rene Goupil, Sterling Heights, tells of a coworker’s son who received a blanket. That made it even more rewarding for her, she said, knowing she had a direct connection to the service project and a recipient.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know you’re helping all those kids,” she said.

Rosa calls the Tie One On group an “awesome group of women” and tears up when she talks about the women’s dedication to the project. She said they’re a grace and a blessing and that she’s proud of the work they’ve accomplished together.

“These women are the most awesome women I’ve met,” she said. “I just love them so much.”

And that grace and blessing goes both ways: Mary Anne Fortunate Hathaway, a member of St. Hugo of the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, said she has not only made new friends, but she comes because “Chris’ generosity is an inspiration.”

Regardless of how many times the other women try to credit Rosa, she is quick to give that credit to the other women and to God, who is working through them.

“Really, it’s not us doing anything,” she said. “We’re the ones getting the graces. I don’t feel like I’m doing charity work. I’m just going along for the ride.”