January 20, 2006
An Inadequate Thank You
(Super Bowl, Shmooper Bowl. Although we do have to say to Ms. Pittsburgh Steelers, "Yo' mama."
That being said, I'm leaving this entry up for another day so as many people as possible can see the photos. See you Wednesday!)
Picture-heavy post, Dear Readers, but well worth it...
There is no way, truly, that I could sufficiently thank each and everyone one of the knitters and blanket-makers from the United States and around the world who participated in last year’s Dulaan efforts. However, I hope today’s entry, which features photos of the Dulaan Brigade’s knitted items being distributed at a kindergarten and an orphanage in Mongolia, will go a long way towards showing you what all of you have accomplished, and will reward you in a way that I cannot.
As I warned the other day, have your hankies ready. Seriously. No, seriously; go get something, anything—Kleenex, toilet paper, a paper towel, the hem of your shirt, the hem of your office-mate’s shirt, I’m not picky. The pictures will both uplift you and make you misty-eyed, guaranteed. I know this because the photos have been trial-run past a few people and, to a person and despite feeble attempts to deny it, they all became farklempt. Even TMK called me and said, in a nod to the little pink girl-squid in “Finding Nemo,” “You made me ink!”
If you see anything you knit in the photos, please let us know! Local knitter MaryB reports that she has espied an item or two of hers, which is not surprising since she knit 50 (50!) items for the project.
Okay, on to the photos:
Per Meredith, the Executive Director of F.I.R.E.:
“[This first set of] images was taken at Kindergarten 59, a particularly poor school. We arrived with our hand-knitted items on the day of the first snow. Most of the children were under-dressed. Being under dressed for school in Mongolia is a big problem. If you are not appropriately clothed, you will be sent home. These children refused to take off their new hand knitted clothing. They were so excited they wore it all day in a very hot building.”
(Editor’s note: It is supremely important for me to mention at this point one of the Dulaan Project’s biggest benefactors, Guidepost Magazine’s “Knit for Kids” project. Month after month, this remarkable group of volunteers simply churns out hundreds, even thousands, of sweaters for children. As a result, they were able to donate hundreds of sweaters to the Dulaan Project which is why almost every single child in these pictures has a new sweater, and why some of them are sporting “Knit for Kids” stickers. For me, that alone was enough to get the ol’ waterworks going.)
Again, per Meredith:
“This was an orphanage called the Lotus Center. You can see in one of the pictures two kids fighting over a hat. [Ed. Note: In another picture, you can see who won!] The items were received with a combination of shock and awe and pure excitement. The hand knitted items were so beautiful and warm that people could not help but feel extra special for receiving it. Although there was always the question of "why." Why would be people go to all this trouble just to help us? Because we can, is what I always say. As much as they appreciate our gifts of love, they have trouble grasping the concept of doing good for others, just for the good feeling it gives you.”
If you know of anyone who knit for Dulaan but doesn't usually read this blog, please send them the permalink (which can be obtained by clicking on this entry's date and time) or somehow share the photos with them. It's important to me that as many people as possible learn what a difference they made in the lives of these children as well as in the lives of the adults who take care of them.
Posted by Ryan at January 20, 2006 11:39 AM