Wrapping People in Love and Compassion
To provide comfort and solace to those in need, a group of Ridgeview employees and volunteers founded the Ridgeview Prayer Shawl Program in April 2005. The mission of the Prayer Shawl Program is to prayerfully create shawls that will provide not only physical warmth, but also emotional and spiritual comfort.
“When people are feeling really sick or alone, wrapping a shawl around them will assure them others care and that they are not going down this path alone,” said Bonnie Schultz, founding member and Ridgeview employee.
The initial goal of the Prayer Shawl Program is to create a shawl for each patient in the Ridgeview Hospice program (approximately 150 per year). When a patient is admitted into the hospice program, they will receive a care basket filled with items of healing and comfort; one of those items will be a prayer shawl. As the production capacity of the ministry increases, shawls may be available for others at Ridgeview who are in need of extra comfort.
Blessing of the Shawls
Completed shawls are collected, then a blessing ceremony is held in the Ridgeview Community Chapel involving the chaplains and employees and volunteers who participate as stitchers.
Contributions to the Ridgeview Foundation
Hospice patients are often suffering physical discomfort and loss of hair. The yarn must be exceptionally soft and nonabrasive to sensitive skin. For this reason, only Lion’s Brand homespun yarn is used. Financial contributions toward the purchase of this yarn can be made through the Ridgeview Foundation. The cost to create a shawl can range from $15 to $20.
To learn more about the Prayer Shawl Program and how it originated, please go to www.shawlministry.com.