DDSB knitters come together to knit red scarves for charity
On December 1st, handmade red scarves were wrapped around trees and utility poles throughout Durham Region, in support of the Rotary Action for the Development of AIDS Responses (RADAR) campaign which raises awareness for HIV/AIDS. Staff from the Education Centre volunteered their time to help.
“It’s about the Rotary,” says Julie Barton, Senior Records Specialist in Human Resources. “It’s their campaign, I just recruited knitters.”
With Barton’s watchful guidance, 13 staff from the Education Centre knitted scarves for the cause. Barton’s friend is a member of Whitby’s Rotary Club and they participate in the annual Red Scarf Project. One day he asked her to knit him a red scarf for the project. Four years later, and Barton is still knitting scarves for this initiative. All scarves must be red and be six inches wide by six feet long.
She would work on the scarves during her lunch and as she did, people would ask her what she was doing. She told them about the project and they often responded with, “If you would’ve let me know I would’ve knitted a scarf for you,” explains Barton. That is how she started recruiting knitters.
The following September, she brought in a few balls of red wool and gave it to her knitters, to start working on their scarves.
In 2017, they knitted 17 scarves and this year they out did themselves with 27. Next year they are aiming to make even more.
“Some of these people who knitted, have never done this before,” Barton said. “They YouTubed it, or we taught them, or they crocheted [their scarves]. It was just fun. We turned something for charity into something fun.”
The donated scarves are wrapped around trees and utility poles in downtown Whitby, with warm and loving messages attached. Any scarves not taken are gathered and donated to nearby homeless shelters.
“Anybody that does something for charity should feel good about it, because most of us are fairly fortunate,” Barton says.
Barton gave the 27 scarves to the Rotary Club. She was told that the club offered approximately 180 to the cause. The DDSB knitters made a significant contribution. She sent everyone an email afterwards and told them that they should feel proud that they have made a difference that will help others.
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