Immanuel Lutheran Volunteers Crochet Clothing Kits for Parents with Preemies

Mary Woloszyn knows what it’s like to be a mother. With two grown daughters, she has lived a life dedicating her being and soul into raising her children. Although Woloszyn does not know what it’s like to have lost a child, she puts her whole heart into a cause that helps mothers who do.

As the chair of the chapter of Diana’s Angels, Woloszyn organizes the production of homemade clothing kits sent out to the families of premature babies. Sixteen active volunteers, some who are not members of the ministry, crochet and sew blankets, caps, and kimonos to send to five local Michigan hospitals, including the Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center.

“This is a simple way to give back,” Wolosyzn said. “I’ve been told that the families are really touched by it.”

Diana’s Angels, a national non-profit organization, was formed in 1997 in Iowa by Patricia Farr, who was moved by the story of her daughter’s sister-in-law, Diana Ward.

Ward had lost her triplet babies when she went into labor in her fifth month of pregnancy. A local funeral home had told her that the only place she would be able to find clothes small enough to fit the babies was at a toy store, and so, Ward was left with one choice—to purchase doll-sized clothes in which to bury her children.

Farr formed the group under the notion that no grieving parent should be forced to shop at a toy store for sacred burial clothes for their child.

First brought to Immanuel Lutheran in the spring of 2008, the group has placed 334 kits to date, both with parents who have lost a child and those whose preemie was blessed to survive. 

With volunteers of all ages, including an 87-year-old woman who knits the infant caps, the group works together to produce the care packages, which come in various sizes (extra small, small, medium and large) and are made in blue for boys, pink for girls and yellow or green for unisex babies. The kits also include a prayer book, angel pin and signed card.

For those looking to get involved, supplies and materials are available in a drop box inside of the church where, according to Woloszyn, many anonymous volunteers also place fabrics and handmade creations.

Though she may not know the families who receive her group's kits, Woloszyn feels a tinge of hope that she is helping to make the grieving process just a little bit easier on them.

“It makes me sad to know that this happens so often,” Woloszyn said. “Yet, it also makes me appreciate how blessed I’ve been and that I can give back.”

For more information about the group and how to get involved with Diana’s Angels, email Mary Wolosyzn at marylwoloszyn@gmail.com or visit dianasangelsproject.com.