Someone Cares: Dolled Up

These special dolls help women and children who have escaped domestic violence—one loving stitch at a time.

An illustration of a pair of colorful patterned dolls.

I meet up with my girlfriends from church once a month to have lunch or to take treats to nursing home residents. But I missed my days working with kids as an art teacher. “What if we did something for children next time?” I asked one month. Everyone loved the idea!

I found some simple patterns for dolls online, which my friends and I then used. Our initial mission was to make 60 dolls for kids in Guatemala. Then we sent 75 dolls to Omaha, Nebraska, for refugee children from Burma. We made 118 for an Appalachian ministry serving poor children in Kentucky, West Virginia and Georgia.

A lot of our dolls have stayed local, going to Harmony House (a shelter for women and children who’ve escaped domestic violence), the Ronald McDonald House and the Child Advocacy Center.

What started out as a ladies’ day out for fun and fellowship has turned into the group now known as The Dolls. We’re making life better for children, one loving stitch at a time.

Download the patterns here

Learn more about Someone Cares greeting cards!

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