Knitting to bolster education

Here in Petaluma, schools with running water, flushing toilets, pencils and paper are so common, that they are often taken for granted. Yet, for many children in developing countries, these facility basics are hard to come by.

Petaluma’s Carol England is hoping to change this for one school in the Dominican Republic with her fundraising project, Transforming Education: One Scarf at a Time.

With a background in teaching, England stumbled across this need in the Dominican Republic when she traveled there two years ago with Sunrise Rotary Club of Petaluma. The club had recently helped La Jagua School build a new computer room and library, however, England could see that much more still needed to be done.

“Being a retired teacher of 32 years, I could see a need for supplies,” she said. “Many teachers and the principal at La Jagua spoke about this need.”

Unfortunately, the Rotary Club could not contribute further; providing the materials needed to make the school thrive was not in their budget.

England knew she could fill the gap. She immediately thought, “I can knit and I have friends who knit.”

From this idea, England built Transforming Education: One Scarf at a Time, an entirely grassroots charitable undertaking.

At its core, volunteer knitters make hats and scarves that are then sold at shops in Petaluma. England collects the funds and, once she has several hundred dollars, she sends grants to schools in need throughout the Dominican Republic.

While Rotary works to build toilets and potable water stations for many schools, even more institutions do not have basic supplies like notebooks, pencils, paper, science materials and the like.

Accordingly, the funds that England and the other knitters raise go toward better stocking classrooms, making schools a bit more livable and hands-on for students.

Since England began Transforming Education: One Scarf at a Time, she has had six of her friends from as far as the East Coast, to as close as Petaluma contribute knitted goods to the cause. Many of the fellow knitters have a background in teaching and know firsthand how essential basic supplies are to students. Others simply wish to help any way they can. Regardless, despite having never been to the Dominican Republic, England’s knitters are eager to raise funds for a worthy cause.

Since the knitters are not centrally located, they seldom spend time working together. Most send or drop off their completed goods to England, who then distributes them to participating organizations.

Currently, the knitted items are sold at Out West Garage and Petaluma Coffee and Tea Company. Petaluma’s Mentor Me will also begin selling the scarves and hats in the upcoming weeks.

“The great thing about purchasing an item is that the buyer gets a one-of-a-kind scarf, knit with love,” England explains. “Then the monies make a difference in the lives of children and teachers.”

In the midst of the holiday season, England argues it’s not only the local community that could use a helping hand. Rather, by teaming local business with a global cause, providing aid to a cause as distant as the Dominican Republic is easier than ever.

Prices for England’s knitted goods begin at $10 for a single piece and stretch up to $100 for matching sets.

For more information on her project or to purchase scarves directly from England, contact her at carol.england@comcast.net.

(Contact Cyprien Pearson at argus@arguscourier.com)