LV Heights gives back to community

by Nila Priyambodo
Staff Writer

During the holidays, La Verne Heights Elementary School students collected $250 to buy the fabric needed to make blankets for sick children at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte.

What started as a gesture from one well-meaning woman soon became a project for a school that is earning a reputation for charitable works.

Approximately 80 blankets were donated to the children’s cancer ward after Babbie Mayo, a room mother at La Verne Heights, came up with the idea.

“When my son was young, he was going through leukemia,” Mayo said. “We brought him his blanket and it was a touch of home for him.”

Mayo said her desire to help the sick also came from her father-in-law’s struggle with cancer.

In December, Principal Gary Temkin, along with three other teachers, approached Mayo after seeing her post fliers around school promoting the idea.

“I want the students to care for the community,” Temkin said.

In an effort to match the blankets with the children’s personalities, Mayo bought fleece blankets featuring a variety of themes, including Barbie dolls, dogs, airplanes, and soldiers.

Later, students cut fringes on the sides to add their own personal style and touch.

According to Toni Carreras-Irwin, the pediatric recreational therapist at City of Hope, the hospitalized children appreciated the thought that went into making the blankets.

Fifth grade teacher Michelle Horne considered the project a valuable lesson for her students.

“Most of my students come from wealthy homes,” she said. “I wanted them to learn the importance of giving back to the community.”

For La Verne Heights, giving back to the community is becoming a tradition. Last year, the Student Council participated in the Habitat for Humanity program. Currently, a group of advanced students are making “hygiene bags” for the homeless.

Mayo intended the blanket project to be a year-round program, and was not intended to be a holiday specific event.

“It just so happened to be Christmas when we delivered the blankets,” Mayo said. “Even though they were made during the holidays, they are not Christmas gifts. They are love gifts.”

According to Horne, the students had fun making the blankets and were able to touch the lives of others simultaneously.
“It was fun,” said Kyle Burns, a fifth grader at La Verne Heights. “We wanted to make them feel a little bit better during the holidays.”