Stitching Generations Together
Leigh Grandma and Granddaughter Crochet Blankets of Love to Share with Others
“We feel the same amount of joy when we give gifts to others as we do when we receive gifts from others.”
Leigh resident Judy Fuhr has taught this lesson to her granddaughter Raelynn Fuhr, a second grader at Leigh Community Schools, by teaching Raelynn how to crochet blankets and to give the blankets to people in the community.
Judy started crocheting blankets in 1979 when her sister became ill, and Judy wanted to give her a blanket. Since then, Judy has crocheted and given away around 200 blankets. She has made blankets for all of her sisters, nieces, and nephews. Although Judy and Raelynn make many blankets for people in the surrounding areas, Judy says that she has given blankets to people in Colorado, Kansas, and Iowa. But out of all of the blankets she has crocheted, she has never kept a single one of them for herself.
Raelynn joined Judy in crocheting blankets when Raelynn was four years old, and she picked a “giving angel” off of the angel tree at the Clarkson Bank. The angel tree serves as a way for community members to choose people from the nursing home to give gifts to during the holiday season. After Raelynn gave away her first crocheted blanket, she was adamant on making more blankets to give others; Judy and Raelynn have continued to pick two names every year off of the angel tree at the Clarkson Bank.
Judy’s and Raelynn’s favorite part of making and giving away the blankets is seeing the recipients smile. The people who receive the blankets are so grateful and even cry tears of joy, Judy says.
Raelynn and Judy make afghan blankets for the beds of people in the nursing home, and they make lap robes for people in wheelchairs. They have also made baby blankets as gifts and blankets for gifts at weddings. In this past year, they have made four blankets as wedding gifts. The most recent blanket they made was donated to the Leigh Legacy Fund.
Crocheting blankets has served as a way for Judy and Raelynn to spend bonding time with each other and give back to people in the community. By teaching Raelynn how to crochet, Judy has saved a lost art that will continue on to the next generation. As a second grader, Raelynn is catching on quickly with the art of crocheting, and she knows more about crocheting than most high school students and many adults do.
Judy has instilled one of the greatest gifts in Raelynn: the gift of giving. Raelynn will undoubtedly cherish these moments she has shared with Judy, and Raelynn knows how much the gift of giving means to others. Even at the young age of seven years old, with her grandma Judy’s help, Raelynn has already started to make a profound impact in our community.