Needlers' Club meets weekly on Saturdays at Derby Neck Library

Derby Neck Needlers' Club members. / Photo from Library website.

DERBY - The Derby Neck Needlers’ Club will meet from 1-4 p.m. Saturday to exchange tips on crocheting, knitting, and needlepoint. 

Newcomers are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

It’s a great way to learn some great skills!

The Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave.

Shared from the Library's website. 

Wesley Village in Shelton celebrates volunteerism at prayer shawl blessing

Prayer shawl volunteers pictured with Crista Hernan, UMH Director of Spiritual Life.

Back Row: Marion Schmitz (resident), Crista Hernan, Barbara Quinn, Jennie Clark (resident), and Mary Ann Griffiths. Front Row: Wesley Village residents, Betsy Hoffman, Alice Beaver, and Jackie Santagata./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - Wesley Village residents, team members, and volunteers recently gathered at Wesley Heights Independent and Assisted Living Community for the campus’s annual Prayer Shawl Blessing and gathering. 

The senior living campus, managed by United Methodist Homes a local, not-for-profit, mission-based organization with a long history of caring in the community, has proudly hosted the event for several years. 

This year’s gathering featured a ceremony and blessing of the shawls, presented by UMH Director of Spiritual Life Crista Hernan, along with a special recognition for volunteers who have been part of this effort for more than 20 years.

The beginnings of the Wesley Village “Hearts and Hands of Love” prayer shawl ministry date back to 2002 when a small group of staff, residents, and friends began gathering weekly to knit and crochet blankets known as “prayer shawls.”

What started as a small knitting and crocheting group began to grow into a network of dedicated prayer shawl volunteers under the direction of the Wesley Village Director of Volunteer Services, Barbara Quinn. 

Throughout the years these volunteers continued to meet at the campus weekly to knit and crochet, and worked together in various ways to raise funds for the purchase of yarn. 

Prayer shawls, blankets, lap robes, baby hats and blankets, chemo hats and other items were lovingly created and prepared for donating with a message of hope and love attached along with warm thoughts and prayers. 

Every year volunteers gathered with the Wesley Village community to celebrate the hundreds of hours of volunteer work that went into the beautiful shawls, and each shawl and blanket would be blessed during an annual “blessing of the shawls” ceremony before being distributed and shared.

Since then, Wesley Village has continued this tradition of caring, crafting more than 3,500 prayer shawls for those in need. Shawls are created with the intention to provide comfort and peace to individuals or families facing a crisis, time of loss, adversity, illness, end-of-life care, or any kind of physical or emotional hardship. 

With an estimation of 40 hours of volunteer time put into each shawl, the efforts of the Wesley Village Prayer Shawl Ministry have totaled more than 140,000 hours over the past two decades. 

Quinn, now retired, continues to play a role in the prayer shawl volunteer group and regularly gathers at the community with residents, staff, and fellow Wesley Village retiree Mary Ann Griffiths to knit on Thursday mornings.

“The work of the volunteers impacts the lives of many in need to whom they bring the message ‘you are not alone’,” said Quinn. “I’m proud to be part of a wonderful group willing to share their time and talents.”  

Along with Quinn, current members of the group include Wesley Village residents Alice Beaver, Jennie Clark, Betsy Hoffman, Carol Osgood, Jackie Santagata, Marion Schmitz, and Connie Leniart, along with Wesley Village team members Guadalupe Alarcon and Artarene Thompson, and community volunteers Maria Camara, Mary Ann Griffiths, Carolyn Smith, and Carol Zemaitis.

At the recent Prayer Shawl Blessing, Hernan not only blessed the shawls on display, but also blessed the hands of each individual volunteer. She spoke about the unique way the gift of a prayer shawl can provide comfort and warmth and powerfully communicate a message of love. “When our knitters and crocheters gather to make these prayer shawls or even when they are doing it on their own, they recognize that there is a need for love in our world,” said Hernan. “The gift of a prayer shawl can envelop someone like a hug, providing warmth, touch, and comfort in response to what may be inconsolable hurt, pain, loss, or despair. It’s a tangible extension of the love of God through the hands of our prayer shawl ministers.”

Wesley Village senior living campus at 580 Long Hill Ave. is part of United Methodist Homes, a local not-for-profit organization with a nearly 150-year legacy of caring. 

The Wesley Village campus offers independent and assisted living, enhanced assisted living, early memory support, skilled nursing, and short-term rehab. 

To learn more about Crosby Commons, Wesley Heights, Lifestyle Transitions, or Bishop Wicke Health Center, visit our website or contact us at 203-225-5024. 

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Wesley Village residents in Shelton make blankets for wildlife in Australia

From left: Terry Moffat, MaryAnn Griffith, and Lisamarie Grailich talk about different colors and modifications they can make to the bowl pattern to accommodate larger or smaller animals./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - During the 2020 kickoff breakfast for the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Wesley Village, members agreed to help the homeless animals caught in the Australian Wildfires.

Kelly Coppola, activities director at Crosby Commons at Wesley Village, learned of the need for animal nests and blankets from staff members Terry Moffat and Lisamarie Grailich.  

A local news program featured a call for donations of nesting bowls and crate blankets for the homeless wildlife displaced by the fires in Australia.  

Coppola brought the idea to coordinators, Barbara Quinn and MaryAnn Griffiths, who went to work on finding the patterns, yarn, and hooks to start the project.  
They shared the supplies along with the information about the project at the breakfast meeting.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry is made up of residents of Wesley Village and volunteers from the community.  

Over the years, they have knitted or crocheted prayer shawls and lap robes which were blessed by the community chaplain and then given to sick individuals or grieving family members.  
In addition to the animal project, they will also make baby car seat blankets and hats to donate to Griffin Hospital in Derby to give away with the car seats they install.  

If you are interested in joining the Prayer Shawl Ministry at Wesley Village, call 203-944-8279.

Wesley Village senior living campus is located at 580 Long Hill Ave. and is part of United Methodist Homes, a local not-for-profit organization. 

The Wesley Village campus offers assisted and independent living, memory support, skilled nursing, short-term rehab, and outpatient therapy and fitness services. 

To learn more, visit www.wesleyvillage-ct.org.

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes. 

Wesley Village residents donate hats, scarves to Spooner House in Shelton

From left: Helen Krystopowicz, Dorothy Guaglianone, Joanne Ruscoe, Luella Dwyer, and Graciella Lopez were part of a knitting and crocheting group at Wesley Village who made hats and scarves to donate./ Contributed photo

SHELTON - Residents from Wesley Village recently put their knitting and crochet needles to work making more than 80 hats and scarves to donate to Spooner House in Shelton.  

They learned about the need from resident Helen Krystopowicz’s niece, Liz Holcomb, who is the Director of Operations at Spooner House who felt they could be put to good use.   

“All of our clients face difficult choices due to their economic circumstances,” said Susan Agamy, Executive Director of Spooner House. “(The) generous donation of beautiful handmade hats and scarves will not only provide warmth to those in need, they are a tangible reminder of the caring hearts in our community.”

There are several knitting and crocheting circles at Wesley Village, all part of the communities’ Prayer Shawl Ministry.  

The volunteers in the Prayer Shawl Ministry have donated homemade blankets and shawls to individuals who are ill or in hospice care. 

They also work with other organizations including the Parish Nurses from Griffin Hospital to provide baby hats and blankets and local animal shelters to provide warm bedding.  

If you are interested in learning more about the Prayer Shawl Ministry or other volunteer opportunities at Wesley Village, call 203-944-8279.

Wesley Village residents and staff pose with team from Spooner House after delivering hats and scarves for clients./ Contributed photo

Wesley Village senior living campus is located at 580 Long Hill Ave. and is part of United Methodist Homes, a local not-for-profit organization. 

The Wesley Village campus offers assisted and independent living, memory support, skilled nursing, short-term rehab, and outpatient therapy and fitness services. 

To learn more, visit www.wesleyvillage-ct.org. 

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Knitters meet Tuesdays at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

SHELTON - KNIT! meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays now through June 2 in the Reading Room at Plumb Memorial Library, 65 Wooster St.

Adult fiber fans meet to knit, crochet and chat; lots of support and fellowship in this drop in group. Stop in and bring a friend.

Shared from the Shelton Library System Facebook page.

Exercise, play bingo, see a movie, more at Doyle Senior Center in Ansonia

Volunteers knit shawls, lap robes for residents at Wesley Village in Shelton

Contributed photo

SHELTON - The Wesley Village Prayer Shawl Ministry donated 2,540 hours to knit 49 shawls and 29 lap robes to help comfort those in need. 

The Prayer Shawl Ministry is a group of residents, staff, former staff, and volunteers who gather regularly to knit and crochet for those going through a challenging time.
Since 2004, nearly 3,500 shawls have been given away. 
A tag with a message of hope and love is attached to each shawl before it is presented to someone.

Recently the Prayer Shawl Ministry gathered with Wesley Village residents and staff for the annual ceremony to bless the shawls, recognize volunteers, and share heartfelt stories of how the shawls have brought joy to many recipients. 

Wesley Village Chaplain Cathy Nickse presided over the “Blessing of the Shawls.” She said,  “I am the lucky one, because I see the huge smiles that light up the faces of the people who receive the shawls, many times during my hospital visits.” 

Nickse continued, “If you can imagine a shawl being like a big, loving hug wrapped around someone - that is what it feels like to them.”

Marissa Salvesen, Manager of Mission Development for UMH, said, “Volunteers from Wesley Village and the surrounding community work together throughout the year to raise funds to purchase yarn and knit shawls and other items to share with others.” 

Salvesen coordinates the prayer shawl effort.

She said,“We are so grateful to our devoted volunteers for all their hours of time and love.”

The Wesley Village Campus is located at 580 Long Hill Ave. It includes: Crosby Commons Independent/Assisted Living Community, Wesley Heights Independent/Assisted Living Community, Lifestyle Transitions Assisted Living/Memory Support Community, and Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation Center. 

The campus is owned and operated by UMH, a local, mission-based, not-for-profit organization.

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes. 

Fiber fans meet Tuesdays at Plumb Memorial Library in Shelton

Sharing from Shelton Library System Facebook page:

"Love to knit? Crochet? Or want to learn? Come to our weekly drop-in group every Tuesday at 6:30 PM at the Plumb Memorial Library.

"Adult fiber fans meet to knit, crochet and chat. There is lots of support and fellowship in this drop-in group. Group meets in the beautiful and historic Reading Room."

The Library is at 65 Wooster St., Shelton.