As Rona Goodman handed her hand-knitted blankets to Jeremy Stern, the Kempe Foundation’s Chief Mission Officer, she is not only keeping children warm, but continuing a 37-year-old family legacy.
Rona’s story starts with her mother and grandmother. During an interview with the Kempe Foundation, Rona recalls seeing her family knit sweaters and hats for the Kempe Center for Children in the early 1970’s when she was just a high school student. She notes that they had probably started volunteering their time long time before that. As the needs of The Kempe Center changed, Rona’s mother, Harriet Goodman, and her grandmother, Sylvia Bernstein, were asked to switch from sweaters to baby blankets.
When asked what moved Harriet to contribute so much time and energy to helping children and families, Rona answered, “After my father passed away, my sibling and I grew up, then traveled away to college. My mom would go to work and come home and knit. She felt that was her small effort of giving back with this talent she had.” Sylvia saw what Harriet was doing, and with her own love for knitting, joined Harriet in supporting the cause. This was the start of a family activity to help keep children warm for generations.
Harriet Goodman had a robust life aside from knitting blankets. She ran the family Midas Muffler shop in Denver, CO when her husband passed away, until she sold it in 1989. Rona tells us that during Harriet’s spare time, she would knit. This love and talent for knitting passed on to Rona who tells us excitedly, “I knit everywhere!”
Even in her busy life as a substitute teacher, she takes her knitting bag with her wherever she can. The bag filled with yarn from Joanne’s Fabrics and a long crochet hook gets taken to school, the doctor’s office, and pretty much everywhere she travels away from her home. Though while at home, she knits while watching TV and when she doesn’t have to grade papers. She only knows how to make blankets, since “this is what mom taught me.” After her mother fell and fractured an arm and ribs, Rona took care of her. After two years of health ailments, Rona’s mother passed away in April 2017. Rona felt moved to continue her mother and grandmother’s legacy.
“I wanted to continue a legacy that my grandmother and mom pursued with the talent they instilled in me. I have been doing it now…for a total of 18 years with them, but 7 years on my own. It’s also about honoring my mom and my grandmother who started this.”
When thinking about children, Rona’s 23 years of teaching experience plays a big part. “Being a substitute teacher, I have been to several schools. I am not able to learn the background of all the children that I see, but I do hear stories of children that come from difficult and diverse families. Besides teaching them and being in class with them, it’s difficult for me to do something for these kids because I’m only a substitute teacher. But this, I know for sure is helping kids. Hopefully, when a little person sees this, it gives them a sense of ownership. That they have something of their own. And they can cuddle with it!”
Now, Rona’s blankets, carrying her mother and grandmother’s legacy, are being distributed to children participating in different programs throughout Kempe. The blankets will keep children warm who are part of SafeCare, an evidence-based home-visitation prevention program that offers proactive, in-home, voluntary services that support at-risk families in gaining skills to provide a safe home, address child health needs, and engage in positive interactions with their children. The blankets will also keep teens and pre-teens warm through the Fostering Healthy Futures program, a positive youth development program that employs 1:1 mentoring, and group-based skills training to promote healthy youth development and reduce trauma-related symptoms and behaviors among youths facing adversity. Rona’s blankets also support children experiencing mental health challenges who are staying at The Gary Pavilion at Colorado Children’s Hospital, just a few floors above the Kempe Foundation offices.
With Rona’s dedication to continue a family tradition of helping children and families, she keeps us all warmer. Thank you Rona, for all that you do.