Cooper High School students delivered a little extra comfort to children at Hendrick Medical Center last week. Students in the Human Growth and Development and Human Services classes hand-stitched and donated 456 stuffed animals for pediatric patients visiting the hospital’s emergency departments.
Now in its second year, the project has become a favorite for Family and Consumer Science teacher Becky Heatherly and her students. The idea grew out of her first year teaching Career and Technical Education classes at Cooper, as she planned how to teach sewing fundamentals.
“When I started thinking about the process of learning to sew, I realized that what would be easiest would be to have pre-made/pre-hole-punched projects for the students to practice with before sewing a stuffed animal that they would make from a pattern and pieces of fabric,” Mrs. Heatherly said.
After researching materials, Heatherly quickly realized that funding the kits would be an obstacle. That’s when she applied for a classroom grant through the Abilene Education Foundation, which approved funding last year for 250 stuffed animals. This year, Heatherly was able to double her grant request, and the result was an impressive total of 456 hand-stitched toys.
Students were required to sew one stuffed animal to demonstrate their skills, and then they were allowed to move on to personal projects they could keep. What surprised Mrs. Heatherly was how many students chose to keep sewing for others, often working on additional stuffed animals in their free time.
“I was absolutely floored by the overwhelming response of the students,” Mrs. Heatherly said. “Nearly all of them wanted to continue making more of the stuffed animals for the children of Abilene to receive if they had to go to the emergency room.”
Mrs. Heatherly and her students personally delivered the donations to Hendrick Medical Center, where Patient Advocate Kevin Silvestri explained the impact the handmade gifts have on young patients visiting the emergency department.
“It brings joy to a kiddo, even though they’re having a tough go at the time or not feeling well,” Silvestri said.
For Mrs. Heatherly, the project reinforces the importance of meaningful, service-based learning and the role it plays in helping students connect their skills to real-world impact.
“These high school students really care about our community,” she said. “It shows that the world is indeed in good hands in the future.”
It also shows how skill-building and community partnerships can leave a lasting impact well beyond the classroom.
–
What began as a class assignment quickly turned into something more. Several students enjoyed the work so much that they stitched additional toys in their free time, wanting to make sure even more children received a soft, friendly companion during a stressful moment.
When Mrs. Heatherly and her students delivered the stuffed animals, Hendrick Health Patient Advocate Kevin Silvestri shared how meaningful the gifts will be for young patients. He explained that the toys are given to children who arrive in the emergency department to help ease fear and discomfort, adding, “It brings joy to a kiddo even though they’re having a tough go at the time or not feeling well.”
The project was made possible through a grant from the Abilene Education Foundation, which helped the class purchase all materials needed to bring the students’ creativity and compassion to life.
Cooper High School is proud of these students for using their skills to brighten a child’s experience during a difficult day—and for showing what it looks like when learning and community service come together in a meaningful way.