Long-running project helps young moms in need
WINNIPEG, MB - Every summer when most people set off for their family vacations, a small group of local women get to work in a local church basement preparing hundreds of layettes to help mothers in need.
In July and August, the women meet two or three times a week at St. Matthew's Anglican Church where they sew, knit and collect baby items for young, needy mothers and their newborn babies.
The women are volunteers for the Thelma Wynne Project, named in honour of its founder. The project provides new mothers, some as young as 14, with layettes containing all of the essentials for a newborn.
"A lot of the ladies (who prepare the layettes) are retired and they themselves are mothers and grandmothers who understand the needs of young mothers," says project coordinator Marlene Ramsay.
Thelma Wynne was a longtime St. Matthew's parishioner who was committed to helping the less fortunate. She died in 1992 at the age of 88, but her legacy continues more than 60 years after the Thelma Wynne Project was born.
Shortly after her daughter, Alma, was killed in the 1947 train crash near Dugald, Manitoba, Wynne dedicated her life's work to providing layettes to young mothers. Wynne was renowned for her kindness and generosity and was known as the "White Mother" among the many Aboriginal people she helped.
The Thelma Wynne Project continues to assist more than 350 young mothers each year.
The project is based out of St. Matthew's Anglican Church but its scope is interdenominational, with contributions coming from various churches and community groups across Manitoba.
"We receive very beautiful handiwork from creative individuals," Ramsay says, adding that more than 235 layettes have been distributed since last September.
Each layette contains a new sleeper, some gently used clothing, a changing pad, socks, a crib blanket, a receiving blanket, a hand-knitted outfit and a three- to four-month's supply of diapers.
In addition to the baby apparel, the layettes include toiletries for the mother along with a letter of encouragement from the Thelma Wynne Project.
"It's not a lot, but a little something for the mom. It comes from the hands and hearts of various women," Ramsay says, quoting the letter.
The women who prepare the layettes rarely ever meet the recipients. Instead, 16 Manitoba-based organizations distribute the layettes to those in need.
Andrew Street Family Centre, Grand Rapids First Nation, Adolescent Parent Centre, Welcome Place and several hospitals with units for premature babies are among the groups that distribute the layettes.
Local high school human ecology classes, Bible study groups, women's groups and nursing homes also add to the layettes either by donating items or by making financial contributions.
Donations also come from rural Manitoba, Ramsay says, adding that many of the churches involved host annual showers to help collect supplies for the project.
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