The concept began in 1996, when Arnold Bresky M.D. started having his memory impaired patients in the Alzheimer’s unit of the El Molino nursing home in Pasadena, CA knit blankets for the homeless on the streets of Pasadena.  When the stacks of blankets got too tall, he asked the Pasadena Fire Department to distribute these blankets at night.  Dr. Bresky’s hope was to not only keep the homeless warm, but to provide his Alzheimer’s patients with meaning and purpose in their daily routine to get them to smile.  What he found was that his Alzheimer’s patients didn’t just smile, actually their entire quality of life improved.  They began to recognize their surroundings, laughed for the first time in years, socialized with one another and stopped acting out.  

Today, this project has flourished into a wonderful humanitarian project known as, HANDS of KINDNESS. 

MISSION STATEMENT

The goal is to deliver loving hand-made knitted, crocheted, and other crafted items by seniors from senior living communities to charitable organizations. In the process, connections will be made between the senior’s skill and the recipient adults and children. This humanitarian project will include assistance and cherished moments of giving. It can incur positive change in people as they work together and create fulfilling lives. This mission will be achieved by the HANDS of KINDNESS project.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

To improve the quality of life, seniors will be engaged and actively involved with purposeful and meaningful activities. The HANDS of KINDNESS is a project that will help seniors feel connections with others socially by experiencing an act of kindness. Good choices for good health among seniors are those that keep them happy and free from loneliness and depression. Seniors want to give to others and feel it is an accomplishment in life by volunteering their time. 

Senior living communities including independent, assisted living, memory impairment and disabled residents will craft items through the HANDS of KINDNESS project for non-profit organizations and charities. The project will continue to add other senior programs and facilities such as skilled nursing and rehabilitation, senior centers and adult day centers.

A few of the targeted group of recipients and items are as follows:

• Stuffed Bears with knitted and crocheted hats, scarves for abused and abandoned children
• Chemotherapy caps for cancer patients, both adults and children
• Small caps for premature babies at the hospital neonatal units
• Crocheted baby quilts for Hospice
• Special tied lap blankets, large blankets and scarves and other crafted items for the less fortunate and needy
• Special knitted and crocheted toys and other items for children in hospitals and children shelters
• Other items created by the seniors for identified charities