GEMS

COMMUNITY: GEMS Sending Love Through Handmade Dolls

column and photos by Kent Von Der Vellen

Someone living in Connecticut called Jan Householder wanting to learn more about the Giving Doll, Householder’s organization that provides dolls to comfort children. It was December 14, 2012.

Later that same day, Jan was horrified when she heard about the events at Sandy Hook where a gunman had killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults.

Householder called the woman with whom she had spoken to earlier in the day and asked if she knew anyone connected with the school and if the Giving Doll could help.

The woman said she would reach out to the school through someone she knew.

Householder called her friends and volunteers with an urgency to make dolls for the siblings who had lost brothers and sisters in the shooting. They quickly assembled 67 dolls while waiting to hear back from the Connecticut woman. Then the call came back from Connecticut with a request for exactly 67 dolls.

Householder does not remember the name of the woman who had reached out to her, but she well remembers the crucial part the woman played in helping the Giving Doll comfort children in need.

The Giving Doll provides handmade dolls to children to bring them faith, love, joy, and hope, said Householder. Through the dolls, the group has helped children who survived house fires, as well as those suffering from illness, the loss of a loved one, and separation from a deployed military parent.

It all started in 2006 when Householder was asked to make a doll for Katherine, the 11-year-old daughter of one of Householder’s former student teachers.

Katherine was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor and receiving experimental treatment from St. Jude’s Hospital. Upon seeing Katherine’s doll, 12 more patients who also were receiving the experimental treatment had requested dolls, too.

Householder, who is a retired home economics teacher from the Wadsworth City School District, made each of the 12 dolls. As interest for the handmade dolls grew, she recruited friends to help meet the requests.

Householder approached the Wadsworth Office for Older Adults for help in making the dolls and the seniors became volunteers. By 2008, the Giving Doll had become a licensed nonprofit organization. The Giving Doll has grown from Householder’s bedroom to chapters in 10 different states. During 2020, they exceeded 60,000 dolls made and have given dolls to children in all 50 states and in 64 different countries. Patterns for the dolls were created and copyrighted by Householder. All of the dolls are handcrafted by volunteers and include a blanket and a tote bag. Katherine’s mother had requested that pockets be added so that she could tuck poetry she had written into them. For this reason, the clothing for every doll must have pockets. There are dolls for girls and boys, and they come in three different colors: brown, white or tan. There are specific instructions on how to make each doll, even detailing the number of stitches for each section.

F

The Giving Doll participates in the Akron Children’s Hospital annual radiothon where callers sponsor a doll to be given to a child at the hospital. Householder said one doll was sponsored four years in a row because, each year, the previous child donated the doll back for another child in need.

One young girl living in Arizona insisted to her mother that they return to Akron to give the doll to another child in need.This comfort doll helped four children and was returned to Householder after the fourth little girl passed away. Touched by the amount of comfort this doll brought to four little girls, Householder said she could not give it out again, and it now sits in the Giving Doll Hall of Fame.

In fall 2019, Norton 16-year-old Emma Pfouts went into a coma after suffering a severe asthma attack. The following January, the Giving Doll decided to make an Emma doll to be used for the Akron Children’s Hospital radiothon fundraiser. Many of Emma’s family and friends volunteered to help make Emma dolls.

There would be one doll made for each day Emma stayed at the hospital. While making the dolls, a young volunteer noticed something different with the doll she was making. She called Householder over to show her the doll had a heart shape on its chest. The heart came to represent the caring that goes into each doll made.

In 2019, the Giving Doll was given three months to relocate from the space they were renting. They found a place in Norton and were helped in obtaining a loan to purchase the building while other friends completed needed upgrades.

The Giving Doll relies on the community for donations of money and materials to make the dolls. Householder mentioned the cost of shipping and buying materials has always been there, and now they also have the cost of the mortgage and related building expenses.

To donate, volunteer or learn more about the Giving Doll, visit https://bit.ly/3xwgNzx or https://bit.ly/32Vw0MM.

Kent Von Der Vellen is a 20-year Medina resident. He has been a volunteer for various youth sports teams, is a member of the Medina Lions Club, and, with his wife, Kim, founded the Jakob F. Von Der Vellen Memorial Foundation. Contact Von Der Vellen by emailing Gems@BlakeHousePublishing.com or by calling 330-4210863. Learn what other area nonprofits need by visiting Giving Hearts at JoyofMedinaCountyMagazine.com.

R

2561 Wadsworth Road Norton, Oh. 44203 330-336-7246 www.thegivingdoll.org Date of formation: 07/04/2008 Organization type: 501(c)(3)

Description of Organization’s Purpose:

Is the organization's registration status current? Yes Reporting Year: 2020 Reporting Start Date: 1/1/2020 Reporting End Date: 12/31/2020 Total Revenue: $29,564.00 Total Expenses: $19,639.00 Total Program Expenses: $12,066.00 Percent of Total Expenses: 61 percent Total Assets: $103,969.00

Director or Board Member list (10):

Jenny Young Nicole Dewitt John Dalessandro Debbie Bard Roxanne Morehead Ron Nagy Jan Householder Lynda Bowers Kathy Bryne Peggy Dunn