On October 17, 2025, the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center hosted a blanket-making workshop where students turned fleece kits into cozy gifts for children in long-term hospital care. The event supported Fleece and Thank You, a nonprofit organization that provides handmade blankets and personalized video messages to young patients facing extended medical treatment.
Inside the Student Leadership Center at the Student Union, teams of students gathered around tables covered in fleece kits. Participants worked individually or in small groups to cut and tie fabric based on a template included in each kit; a process requiring patience, focus and creativity.
Student worker Jazel Ware-Grant led the workshop, guiding volunteers through every step, from unwrapping the kits to recording a heartfelt video message for the future blanket recipient.
“Fleece and Thank You gives these blankets to hospitals with children who will be there for long-term care, like those battling cancer or illnesses that don’t go away quickly,” Ware-Grant explained.
The craft was more involved than it looked. Preparing a single blanket could take the full two-hour event, requiring concentrated effort in cutting, measuring, tying, and assembling the layers of fleece into a warm, durable blanket.
Ware-Grant described the process:
“The kits come with two pieces of fleece fabric. We cut the corners, then cut strips around the edges and tie them together to make a thick blanket that will keep the children warm.”
She also highlighted the broader mission of the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center:
“We host events where we provide transportation to nonprofits and other community organizations in Springfield so students can serve and support different communities.”
The Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center continues to offer hands-on projects like this one throughout the year, both on and off campus. Students interested in participating in future service opportunities can visit the UIS Connections page for upcoming events and volunteer sign-ups.
