CTE fashion students crochet hats to raise awareness of congenital heart defect

GOSHEN — The Orange Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education Fashion and Interior Design class is joining the American Heart Association to celebrate American Heart Month and raising awareness of congenital heart defects by crocheting red hats for babies born in February at participating hospitals.
The heart association program, called Little Hats, Big Hearts, honors babies, moms and heart healthy lives. The hats will be given out to babies during American Heart Month in order to empower moms to live heart healthy lives and to help their children do the same.
Goal: 500 red hatsInstructor Holly Toth, with teaching assistant Basha Urbanksi, started the project in the beginning of January when they began giving their students crocheting lessons. Former student Yvonna Melville, and Toth’s mother, Darlene Munger, have been helping with the lessons.
Students crochet during their down-time, when they are done with their regular fashion assignments.
“This project has been wonderful for my class," Toth sid. "The students feel good about working for such a great cause, and they’ve learned a skill they can use for a lifetime. It is very calming and very therapeutic.”
So far, the students have made 350 hats, and have set a goal of 500 hats.
Toth will be giving incentives and prizes to students for every 25 hats they crochet.
Essential information Anyone who wants to join the effort and help the class reach its goal, can crochet hats and bring them to the CTE Fashion and Interior Design class at the Amy Bull Crist Regional Educational Center at 53 Gibson Road in Goahen.
The class would also welcome donations of red yarn.
For more information about BOCES Career and Technical Education programs, call 845-291-0300 or visit ouboces.org/cte.