Now that temperatures have dropped and the snow is flying, wearing something snug and wooly on your head to keep warm is looking like a good option. There are three efforts underway at Siena to keep Saints’ heads warm while supporting charitable efforts: Twill, Love Your Melon, and Close-Knit Community.
Ryan Grande ’17 and Matthew Hoyt ’17 are helping to drum up support for Twill as part of their marketing internship. Twill is an Albany-based online effort that sells knit hats and blankets, totes and more made of organic, U.S.-sourced cotton. For every item you buy, you get to choose a similar item to be presented to a local charity of your choice. Buy a hat, give a hat; buy a blanket give a blanket.
Grande and Hoyt reach out to companies and organizations, asking them to consider Twill products to give as employee gifts or bonuses. They also get in touch with the public directly at festivals and 5Ks. Catholic Charities, the Alliance for Positive Health, the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society and many other outreach organizations benefit from the gifted hats and blankets.
“It’s very rewarding as a business student to get to know a company from the inside out, especially one that reflects the Franciscan tradition we learn about here at Siena,” said Grande.
If you like to show your college pride, Twill partners with a Latham store that can put the Siena logo on their items.
Jaimie Delaney ’18 and Mackenzie Wolfson ’18 are promoting Love Your Melon, which was created by two Minnesota college students who wanted to “put a hat on every child battling cancer in America.” Their efforts grew to raising funds to support pediatric cancer research and support for families. LYM works with “crews” at colleges all over the country to sell their trendy hats and other apparel.
“We ourselves don’t sell anything,” explained Siena crew captain Delaney. “We tell people about Love Your Melon, about their great products and the outreach supported by the sales. When you buy an item online, you indicate which college crew you want your purchase points to go to.”
Colleges earn points that are converted to dollars to be spent on area charities.
Delaney and Wolfson have recently gone to Albany’s Ronald McDonald house to visit and do crafts with children battling life-threatening illnesses. They’ve also taken a group pumpkin picking.
“We want to make Love Your Melon a permanent club at Siena, so this effort stays in place and our students can keep being a part of these kids’ lives,” said Delaney. “They are so brave and so fun to be around.”
“I think we get a lot more out of the visits than the kids do,” added Wolfson.
Knitting your own hats and scarves is not only fun and crafty – it’s hip these days too – just ask Blake Lively, Ashton Kutcher and other celebs who ply their needles in between movie shoots and modeling gigs. On the Siena campus, Close Knit Community meets to knit and chat. Some of the things they make are donated to local charities, who are always in need of hats, scarves, and mittens when the cold weather arrives.
“We really want to get the club back up to speed again,” said Sydney Sericolo ’17, who heads up the group. She said they are looking for more new members to replace a bunch who graduated last May.
Knitters and other crafters can join and work on their own projects or create items to be donated through Siena’s Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy.
