Clubhouse

All dolled up for service

Kiwanian Joe Sewell cuts dolls from a pattern. A young patient is all smiles after dressing her Kiwanis doll.

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When it comes to getting a positive return on an investment of time, the Kiwanis Club of Bristol, Tennessee, has sewn up the market. Since deciding to participate in a district-wide Kiwanis doll project, the club has cut out, stitched, stuffed, and sewn some 1,024 dolls—more than double its original goal of 500. The dolls are distributed among hospitals and child advocacy centers in the area, according to Lester Wright, the club’s Young Children: Priority One chairman.

“The hospital dolls are for children who have been hospitalized for serious illnesses or surgeries,” Lester notes. “The dolls provide a child-friendly way for doctors to explain to children the nature of their illnesses or the surgery procedures the children are facing. And the children can inscribe them with facial features and dress them up and even have visitors sign them as a reminder of the time they were in the hospital.”