(Middlefield, OH)- For the past 20 years, Jane Zajaczkowski has passed the time by knitting. She has created well-over hundred sets of hats and mittens for the students at Jordak Elementary School.
“I began crocheting mittens for the children when I volunteered with the CAB (Children and Books) reading program,” said Zajackowski. “It was a truly wonderful program that not only sharpened the children's reading skills, it also instilled a true love of reading in the children. In the CAB program, each student took home a book of their choice every day and read it to their parents and family. After a student had read twenty books, they were allowed to choose a prize. I added some of my crocheted mittens to the prize choices, and I was surprised at how many children chose a pair of the mittens as a prize.”
Twenty years later, Jane is still knitting extra hats and mittens for the children at Cardinal. They are stored at the school, and are available for any student at any given time. Zajaczkowski knits, labels by age group, and then delivers boxes of these hats and mittens each school year.
“Jane's kindness is amazing and very touching,” said Robert Kujala. Kujala steps in as the building’s new principal after recently serving at Southington Local Schools. “She has donated to our children for years. We can't praise her enough for doing so much work. (and the quality of her stitching is really amazing, you would think it came off a machine)!”
The Cardinal students will resume back to school on Monday, August 21st. All of the hats and mittens will come in handy when the Northeast, Ohio Winters decide to hit! “We just want to thank her so much for being such a supporter of our children and school district. There will be warm little hands and heads because of her generosity,” said Kujala.