Sewing a Sense of Worth

STONE HARBOR ─ “This is wonderful,” Cathy O’Connell said March 23. “I wasn’t sure they (volunteers) would come.” But come they did, taking their stations in the fellowship hall of St. Paul Church in Stone Harbor, ready to lend a helping hand.
Over 32 women gathered to contribute to the Dress a Girl Around the World program, an international endeavor to clothe and support young women. The dresses are handmade and embellished with special touches.
According to the program’s brochure, “Dress a Girl has thousands of sewers across the U.S., Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Philippines… and many other countries around the world.”
Founder Rachel Eggnum Cinader began the program after seeing the plight of children in Uganda, Africa. Captured and forced into the sex trade, young girls were taken from their villages and families.
Hope 4 Kids International hosts mission trips to distribute the dresses in Uganda, India, Guatemala, the Philippines, Romania, and other nations.
“Our goal is to restore a sense of worth to vulnerable girls suffering from extreme poverty. Some are abused, used as slaves, or outcasts who may feel forgotten by God and feel invisible to those around them,” according to the brochure.
Terri Cwik provided details and information about the organization.
Chapter 1,000 of Prayers and Squares, part of a larger international group, meet once a week in the church hall. The Stone Harbor chapter was founded in 2011 and has 32 members. Students from Wildwood Catholic and other young people also participate as part the confirmation process.
As quilts were made, each knot was tied by saying a prayer for the individual who would receive the blanket. Hats, blankets, and prayer shawls are knitted or crocheted by members of Needles-and-Knots.
Cwik said that Prayers and Squares began in 1992 in California, started by a grandmother whose grandson was in a coma after heart surgery. Prayers and Squares offer women the opportunity to gather together and help those in need.
According to Cwik, the combined parishes of St. Paul and St. Brendan the Navigator contribute to the effort, along with friends from other churches.
Cwik has been a full-time resident in Stone Harbor since 1992, though her family visited the borough since the 1950s, part of a long-standing shore tradition.
Skill levels may not be the same, but dedication and willingness to learn create a patchwork of care and service.
To contact Rachel Rogish, email rrogish@cmcherald.com.