Girl turns hobby into help for homeless
Published: October 30, 2006
Ashley Susi has turned a hobby into a good deed.
The 11-year-old, who is in the fifth grade at Copley-Fairlawn Middle School, learned how to knit from her mother, Wendy Deyoung Susi, a year ago.
“I saw my mom doing it and I kept bugging her to show me how,” Ashley said.
She did, and Ashley soon realized the good that could come from her new pastime.
The youth decided she wanted to knit 100 scarves to give to Akron’s homeless population.
When she told her mom her goal, “it made me cry,” Susi said.
Ashley said she was inspired by the events of the past year.
“After Hurricane Katrina, I saw all those [homeless] people and I thought about how in Ohio we have a ton of snow,” Ashley said.
She also got her mother on board. Since the two began the project, they have knitted about 50 colorful scarves of various sizes.
Ashley, who is also involved in cheerleading, music and dance, said it takes her about a week to finish each scarf.
Her mother said she does as much as she can to help out, even though she has multiple sclerosis.
“It depends how my hands are doing,” Susi said.
Susi said she purchases the yarn the two use, and they try to pick out fun colors and textures to keep the project interesting.
She added it’s not unusual for Ashley to do something for others. In the past, she has donated her hair for wigs through Locks of Love and has been a teacher’s helper at school.
“She’s a very helpful person,” Susi said. “She’s been helping my mother babysit my new niece. She recycles cans for the fire department and pop tops for the hospital. You ask her to do something and she’ll do it.”
To donate the scarves, Susi has contacted the Haven of Rest in Akron, and she and Ashley plan to deliver their stock the first week of November.
In the meantime, they plan to continue to knit and hope to make another delivery next year.
“We’re just going to keep going,” Susi said. “Originally Ashley thought 100 scarves would be enough, but I told her, ‘Honey there’s more than 100 people out there who need them.’ Neither one of us plans on stopping.”
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