Blankets are something many people take for granted.  But senior Maggie Kinser understands the importance of them. Her senior projects incorporates making blankets for Senator Bob Hope’s Hospice House.

The hospice house caters to patients who are close to the end of their life.  The hospice house gives them a comfortable place to stay and even a place for their families while they live out their last days, weeks, or even years.

“I wanted to do something I had done before and [something] I liked,” Kinser said.  Having made tie scarves for her family as Christmas gifts, Kinser loved the idea of making blankets for those in the hospice house. But making blankets wasn’t her original plan.

“I started out with going to the Dominican Republic to donate dresses to an orphanage, but that didn’t work out,” Kinser said.  So she took some time to think about what else she could do for her project and came up making the blankets.

When Enhanced teacher Ann Drummey found out Kinser was making these blankets for her senior project, she was thrilled.  She even bought some of the materials needed to make the blankets for Kinser. 

“I thought it was a wonderful idea.  These kinds of projects are things you can do all your life,” Drummey said.  Drummey has known about the hospice house ever since it opened.

Drummey believes that the blankets will let the hospice patients know that someone is thinking of them.  “Getting a blanket shows that someone cares about you enough to take the time to make it,” Drummey said. 

Kinser also plans on getting help from the badminton team she participates on. Every team needs a community service project and Kinser hopes that the badminton team will be able to use this as their service project.

“I’m going to get the badminton team to help me deliver the blankets to the hospice house,” Kinser said.

According to Kinser, patients and families who enter the hospice house often go through trying times.  Patients want to experience familiarity and have their own personal items, especially if they are in the hospice house for years.

 “The families tend to get attached to things in the hospice house.  The blankets will be something special that they can keep and will make them happy,” Kinser said.

Meg Kirchner is a reporter for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com.