Ready to spread some holiday warmth are, from left, Ginger Meredith of the Needlework Guild of America, MCCC athletic trainer Lisa Camillone and Lisa’s daughter, Andrea, a sophomore at MCCC. Since last February, Lisa and Andrea have knitted more than 100 hats that will be donated to area charities this holiday season.
Just in time for the winter months, Lisa Camillone, of Ewing, the athletic trainer at Mercer County Community College, has donated more than 100 hand-knitted hats to the Needlework Guild of America.
The group organizes and distributes collections of handmade and new items to a variety of New Jersey charities.
Camillone said she started her knitting project in February as a little stress relief for her spare time. But it gradually turned into a mission to spread the warmth this winter. She notes that the hats boast unique color combinations and range in size from infant to adult.
Camillone’s daughter, Andrea, a sophomore at MCCC, soon got drawn in. She began making hats of her own to add to the pile. The project got even bigger when Andrea, who works in the after-school program at Grover Middle School in West Windsor, asked students there if they might want to join in. She has organized a group of enthusiastic 5th and 6th graders who are working toward adding 30 hats to the total by Christmas.
Camillone said the generosity of many others is reflected in her work. For example, her fellow employees at the college donated skeins of yarn left over from some of their projects.
Andrea, too, found generous donors when she publicized the project at the middle school. An art teacher gave her and the students the material they needed to make their hats.
Ginger Meredith, president of NGA’s Trenton branch, was delighted to get the phone call from Camillone and come by the college to pick up the hats. She said that the hats will be distributed through several charitable organizations. In the past year, NGA has donated to Anchor House/Angel’s Wings, Capital Health Foundation, Children’s Home Society, Children’s Futures Inc., Mill Hill Child and Family Develop Center, Morris Hall, Mount Carmel Guild, Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and United Progress Inc.
Meredith also said she would welcomes new NGA members. For more information, email gmeredith8187 AT gmail.com.
Lisa Camillone said she plans to continue making hats for a long time to come. She continues to request donations of leftover yarn, which can be dropped off at the MCCC Physical Education office, located at the West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.
On the Web: www.mccc.edu.
