A small comfort
A group of Greene County residents are working together to ease the transition for children who are put into foster care.
The child advocacy group Growing Up Greene, Embroid'em in Waynesburg and other volunteers are making pillowcases so that foster children have a sense of comfort when they're removed from their family home.
"This is important because when you're taking children out of their home and placing them in a strange environment, this (will) give them a sense of comfort and home," Bethany Tanner of Embroid'em said.
The effort started in February when Ruff Creek resident Sherry Ullom read an about an emergency overnight room at Growing Up Greene. The room was designed for children removed from their homes at night.
Ullom wanted to make the space more welcoming and contacted county Commissioner Betsy McClure, offering to donate 100 yards of fabric for pillowcases.
"It's like God said, that's what you need to do with this fabric," said Ullom, whose parents had fostered children when she was growing up.
McClure brought Tanner into the project, and Tanner brought in her grandmother, Carol Patterson, and another five or six volunteers. Patterson, a long-time sewer, was the former leader of the 4-H sewing club, where Tanner first learned to sew.
"It makes me feel good that people in the community want to contribute," McClure said. "Greene County is a very giving community and there are so many that care and really just want to help others."
The group will start by making 96 pillowcases, allowing children to pick out their favorite from a wide array of themed fabrics including "Frozen," "Star Wars," and "Harry Potter."
"Projects like these are very important to making people feel that they are accepted in a community," McClure said. "Sometimes you go through hard times, but it's okay. We'll help you through this time."
Aaron Houser of Growing Up Greene initially wanted to purchase pillows, too, but doing so was too costly. On a whim, he emailed MyPillow and pitched the project. To his surprise, the company's vice president emailed him back, offering to let the nonprofit purchase travel-sized pillows at less than half their cost.
"Growing up Greene has used the tagline that we can do so much more when we all work together," Houser said. "If this is not a fantastic example of that, then I don't know what is."
Roughly one-third of the pillows will be at the emergency overnight housing space. When children spend the night there under CYS supervision, they will be able to pick out their own pillow. The others will go to current foster care children in Greene County.
"I hope the foster kids get the same joy that I get from giving the [pillow] cases," Ullom said.
Anyone who would like to volunteer can contact, Embroid'em at 724-833-9138 or
