Lakeridge Gardens Residents Turn Love of Knitting into Community Donation

“Just being able to give back, that’s the gift,” said Joan Bouckley, Lakeridge Gardens resident.

Joan, along with fellow residents Tina Dos Santos and Marion Strong, recently turned their love of knitting into a special community donation – knitting 37 headbands for athletes at the 2023 Ontario Parasport Games.

“Receiving headbands knit by volunteers like the residents from Lakeridge Gardens made Games participants feel warmly welcomed by our community and contributed to their #paramazing experience in Durham Region,” said Lori Talling, Games General Manager and Sport Tourism Specialist for the Region of Durham.

“I enjoy it (knitting),” said Joan. “In the afternoons, the staff would usually bring me to the resident lounge. There, I would watch my programs on TV and knit.”

For Tina, knitting the headbands not only represented a chance to knit for others, but also to continue to challenge herself. She uses a loom to knit because she is unable to use her left hand.

“I made a couple of headbands, which was hard because I only have one hand,” said Tina. “It felt good to help people who also have disabilities.”

For 103 year-old resident Marion, knitting has been a lifelong hobby.

“My grandmother taught me to knit when I was eight years old,” she said. “Back then, we had to make some of our clothes. So, I liked knitting these headbands because they were so straight. I didn’t have to watch my stitching.”

When Therapeutic Recreation Assistant Allie Eagleson brought this initiative to the residents, she was happy to hear so much enthusiasm.

“The residents were super excited,” said Allie. “I had multiple calls asking for more yarn, which was amazing. Some knit faster than others, but it was an ongoing project that they could do together, or I could do with them. They really enjoyed it.” The overwhelming interest in the project has led Allie to try and create a knitting group at the home.

However, as Joan points out, there was a higher purpose to this first knitting project for the athletes.

“We did it because we wanted to help out,” she said.