From Stafford County Schools:
The Family Career Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) students at Colonial Forge High School (CFHS) created 39 fidget blankets for students with autism or anxiety. The students donated the finished blankets to the CFHS counseling department as well as Stafford and Widewater Elementary Schools.
J&J Upholstery provided fabric and the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization provided grant funds used to purchase zippers and thread. Each student in the Introduction to Fashion class used donated materials to create the special blankets.
“The students learn about giving to others,” said Kathleen Mellenberg, Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Teacher at CFHS. “In this case, they also have to think about what a child with autism or anxiety might find helpful.”
Students discussed autism and Alzheimer’s before starting the blankets. Each blanket had to have a zipper, pocket, and trim. Students also created activities using ribbons, buttons and other items in Mellenberg’s classroom.
“Some of the kids are familiar with autism in their friends/families so they could speak to the kids’ needs that way,” said Mellenberg. “Beyond that, the students received no professional help.”
FCCLA is a co-curricular organization to which all students enrolled in FACS belong.
