Lockport Township High School Senior, Riley Simmons, Donates Blankets to Residents of Victorian Village
Lockport Township High School Senior, Riley Simmons, Donates Blankets to Residents of Victorian Village (Homer Glen, IL) – So many things that have changed over these past few years, but luckily, some things always stay the same. In wintertime there is nothing like the feel of a warm fleece blanket against your skin during the long Chicago winters.
Lockport Township High School Senior, Riley Simmons, kept that in mind while trying to keep herself busy over the summer. The idea for making fleece blankets was planted by her Girl Scout leader, who taught the troop how to make these blankets several years ago to give to kids in the hospital. Riley then set up a “Go Fund Me” with a $250 goal. Riley was surprised when money came pouring in.
Riley said, “Each blanket takes about 45 minutes to make, so I thought I’d get $250 or so and make 10-12 blankets.”
Exceeding the Goal
Riley blew past her goal and collected $550 plus some fabric donations. “The people of Homer Glen were really generous and I’m super excited”, said Riley. Lynn Anna, the Manager at JoAnn Fabrics in Orland Park was able to steer Riley to purchase the fleece during a one day 50% off sale, and they were able to add another 20% manger discount, which stretched donation funds even further. Theresa North, the Asst. Manager, personally spent over two hours cutting fleece in two-yard sections to support the project. Riley really had her work cut out for her. After 6 weeks working on the project, Riley had 42 large blankets ready for delivery.
On August 5th, Riley delivered the blankets to Diane Giglio who agreed to distribute them to the residents of Victorian Village. Riley said, “I picked Victorian Village because my grandma fell over the holidays and broke her leg. She spent several weeks at Victorian Village’s rehabilitation center and they took really good care of her.” In an uncertain world, one thing is for sure, no one will be shivering this winter at Victorian Village.
Lockport Township High School Senior, Riley Simmons, Donates Blankets to Residents of Victorian Village
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