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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Angels for newborns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just learned a new word.
“Layette.”
That’s a complete outfit for a newborn baby - clothes, bedding and accessories. I found out what it meant while hanging out with some volunteers for Tiny Stitches Inc. The Gwinnett-based nonprofit sews, knits or crochets baby clothes and burial ensembles. It gives them to needy newborns and preemies in North Georgia hospitals like Gwinnett Medical Center and Union General in Blairsville.
Wednesday was Tiny Stitches’ “pre-packaging” day. The Badie Tour was invited to witness the chaotic, charming scene. It takes place at “Your Extra Attic,” a storage facility in Sugar Hill. The nonprofit rents space there.
A dozen or so women stuffed plastic bags with clothes. Everything from burp cloths and socks to creepers and sleepers. Thirty-five items for each layette tote. All items are hand-crafted. All are donated anonymously to between 55 and 60 birth moms each month.
“If the mother knew it was from Tiny Stitches, she may feel beholden to us,” says Buford’s Gloria Bantekas, a founding member. “We want the mother to have some self-respect. I can’t imagine having a baby and not having any clothing for her.”
Tiny Stitches was founded in February 1996 by Bantekas and four other Gwinnett women. The local group had belonged to the national charity of the same name, but disliked sending money to headquarters. So it became an independent charity.
Today the Gwinnett outfit has a network of more than 200 volunteers. No one gets paid. Money that’s donated or raised pays for fabrics, trim, yarn, patterns and warehouse rent. (The charity recently received its largest donation ever - $15,000 from Jackson EMC.)
In the warehouse Wednesday, the women scurry in cramped quarters. They’re angels.
“Let me show you the beautiful work that’s been done,” says Janet Hornsby of Flowery Branch.
“Look at this.” She holds up a multi-colored T-shirt. “Doesn’t it light your eyes up?”
Hornsby, a volunteer for two years, says she’s found her calling.
“I do it to do something for the community,” she says. “Just to feel like my life is worthwhile, more or less. This is it after all these years.”
Tiny Stitches has its critics.
“Some people say we’re helping illegal immigrants,” Bantekas says. “We’re not a Christian organization, and that bothers some people. We’re simply people who care. Some people say there’s no poverty. Hey, I’ve seen poverty.”
The charity started pre-packaging the clothes after a hospital suffered water damage. The clothes had to be washed before they could be distributed. Hospital social workers determine who gets the layettes.
Georgia Lucas, an at-large board member, told me hospital personnel rejoice when volunteers make deliveries.
“When they see us coming,” she told me, “they say, ‘Here come our angels.’ “
For more information, visit www.tinystitches.org.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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