Blankets for Hospitalized Kids: Coach Says, 'We Wanted to Give Back'

Members of the Romeoville High School freshman and sophomore girls basketball squads and the Lukancic Middle School 8th grade girlsbasketball team spent their Thursday afternoon making fleece blankets that will be given to Lurie Children’s Hospital.

“This helps these kids understand how fortunate they are and how to give back to the community,” said RHS sophomore team coach Jacqie Storm. “It teaches them a little bit about charity.”

Storm’s sister, Melissa Veenstra, came up with the idea as she contemplated the holidays ahead with her young son, Carter.

“With little kids, it’s I want, I want, I want toys for Christmas so we instead we decided we wanted to give back,” Veenstra said, as she explained Carter’s goal to present 100 fleece blankets to the children who are in the hospital over the holidays. “We wanted to make something. We just didn’t want to donate more toys.”  

Twelve RHS underclassmen and three Lukancic 8th graders made about 20 blankets using fleece they brought and fleece provided by Veenstra who says she will work to provide the remaining 80 blankets through friends and co-workers.

“This was also great for teambuilding,” Storm said. “They’re getting to do something different off the court and getting to know each other better. This is where they get to joke around, see a different side other than the competitive side. They also get to see a different side of the coaches.”