KYC donates more than 50 blankets to UFA

The Kearns Youth Council made and donated 57 blankets to the Unified Fire Authority as part of a several month long service project.

Kathy Larrabee, Kearns Youth Council adviser, said the council worked together with students at Kennedy Jr. High to cut and tie the fleece blankets for the UFA to give to homeless people. The council began the project last fall.

“The reason we made the blankets is that the UFA mentioned they’d love to have some blankets to donate, so we decided to make some for them,” Larrabee said. “The UFA takes them to a homeless shelter, or sometimes they’ll even take them around the parks to the homeless and hand them out that way.”

Larrabee said last year the youth council made and donated 53 blankets to the Unified Police Department for kids who were victims of abuse or domestic violence, and they were excited to have the opportunity to do it again this year.

“We would just get the material a little bit at a time and as we’d get it we’d cut them and tie them,” Larrabee said. “We certainly hope we can continue to do it in the future, but it all depends on the amount of [monetary] donations we receive.”

Larrabee said each blanket costs about $10 to make, and last year when they made the blankets for the UPD, they had a $500 donation from Memorial Estates for the materials. This time around they had several smaller, private donations that made it possible for them to make the blankets for the UFA.

“I believe [making the blankets] teaches the council how to serve and it keeps their hands busy,” Larrabee said. “They get to do something for someone else. Another thing we’ve been exposing them to is how fortunate they are. A lot of people need help and don’t have something as simple as a blanket.”

“The council was so willing to [make the blankets], and they had a lot of fun,” Larrabee said. “This is teaching them service to their community as well as awareness. They are building a positive image for themselves.”