A local non-profit, Knots of Love, received 101 caps from a group of Google employees recently as part of their global week of service, “GoogleServe.”
The Newport/Mesa-based charity aims to “warm the hearts and heads” of cancer patients and others with life threatening illnesses that cause hair loss through hand knitted and crocheted caps, according to a statement released by the organization on Thursday.
“Their caps were beautifully made and will touch 101 more lives that would otherwise not have felt their love and warmth,” said Knots of Love founder, Christine Fabiani. “It is wonderful that people find time in their busy schedules to help others.”
“GoogleServe Global Week of Service is an annual event in which Googlers around the world join together to participate in community service projects,” the statement explains.
“We chose Knots of Love because knitting/crocheting hats is a way that we can use our skills to give a bit of comfort and warmth to people undergoing chemotherapy,” said senior software engineer Liz Looney, who led the crafty club of Googlers that made the donation.
More than 8,500 Googlers from over 75 offices participated in about 500 projects worldwide this year, according to Google. For the past six years, the company has set aside one week every June for the special service week.
The contribution helped set a personal record for Knots of Love of most caps donated and shipped out in one day: A total of 1,050.
The charity is also in the middle of their annual Veteran’s Cap Drive, which sends caps to Affairs hospitals across the U.S.
According to the organization, they have donated more than 12,000 caps to VA centers since their 2007 inception, with 975 of those from this year’s campaign. The charity’s goal is to donate 8,000 caps by Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day.
“After serving our country and defending their fellow Americans, these veterans are now engaged in a battle against cancer,” the statement reads.
This is a special program for the charity, Fabiani said in the press release.
“I’ve seen firsthand how our veterans are forgotten in hospitals,” she explained. “They are now waging the fight of their lives…We should do everything in our power to help them in their time of need. Giving back to them after all they have given us.”
