THE RAINY DAY DONATION PROJECT
The Rainy Day Donation Project
When the pandemic shut everything down, all our lives were changed overnight. The members of RAIN Inc. Older Adult Center at Boston Secor in Baychester, Bronx were told that their center was closed further notice. The center focused on priorities such as food deliveries and the medical needs of their members. No more parties, socializing, no programming. The crochet group that Ruth Marshall had been teaching since 2016 could no longer meet. Knitting and crocheting were put aside for the time being.
Over the next several months, Ruth received text messages from her students inquiring, ‘when is our class restarting?’. And then Zoom classes began. For some of the older adults, navigating Zoom was daunting, confusing, too difficult, and many of the students were not able to return to class. But slowly a small group formed, and Ruth quickly realized that the class had to adapt to this new type of classroom. She suggested the idea of a special project and asked her students to decide what they wanted to do. And so, The Golden Ladies: Rainy Day Donation Project was created. The ladies were very specific that they wanted to create beautiful items for babies in need in Bronx hospitals. Toys, blankets, dresses, hats, cardigans, booties, and more starting flying off their crochet hooks. I created a password protected resource page on my website to organize the patterns and information for everyone to access. Every step of the way, the Golden Ladies directed and made decisions for this special project.
This exhibition is giving a face to the matriarchs of our community who are the tireless providers of love and generosity not only to their families but to other families who they will never meet, simply because they want to do something to help.
The Golden Ladies have generously donated over 400 items to Montefiore Medical Center’s NICUs and more recently to a women’s shelter in the Bronx.
Link for more info: https://ruthmarshall.com/2021/06/01/rain-inc-golden-ladies-crochet-presents-rainy-day-donations/
Marcos Crespo, Senior Vice President, Community Affairs, Montefiore Medical Center
“Community connection is an important social determinant of health. I’m so proud of the Golden Ladies for their ability to remain virtually connected during the pandemic to create these beautiful pieces of crocheted and knit art. These pieces are more than just art; they help to heal and console our most vulnerable NICU newborns. The Golden Ladies’ work is being exhibited in conjunction with The Fine Art Program at Montefiore Einstein at our Hutch Tower. Enjoy!”
“The Golden Ladies light up Wakefield. With gratitude, we thank them for gifting such beautiful handmade gifts, made with love, to our NICU families. The bi-directional benefit is heartwarming. We hope to see more of the ladies moving forward.”
— Maura Porricolo, Assistant Vice President of Operations
Wakefield Administration
Wakefield Hospital @ Montefiore Medical Center
“I have witnessed their generosity, love, and affection for the newborn infants at the Weiler NICU. I enjoyed the lovely meeting with 'Golden ladies'. I want to pass many - many thanks from the bottom of my heart.”
— Suhas Nafday, MD, DCH, MRCP (ire), FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Director, Weiler-Einstein Newborn Services
Division of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore