College students and senior citizens are teaming up to teach knitting and crocheting to children by volunteering for “Loop it Up Savannah”, an innovative intergenerational program provided through a partnership with the Warm UP America foundation, Coats and Clark, the Housing Authority of Savannah and Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD).

The goal of this pilot program is to provide an opportunity for those skilled in the art of knitting and crochet to pass their knowledge and skill to a younger generation.

In Savannah, GA volunteers from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah Arts Academy and Senior Citizens, Inc have volunteered to teach the crafts to kids ranging in age from 5 to 13 at the West Broad Street YMCA.

Coats & Clark’s Kathleen Sams, who worked with the volunteers and the children says of the experience, “This has been an exciting program.  I've always loved to knit & crochet and really enjoy being able to pass it along, especially to kids.  It's such a great way to ‘give back’.   I enjoy seeing how excited the kids get when a stitch or row has been completed.  The volunteers were very dedicated and really enjoyed working with the kids.  They have lots of ideas for the next phase of classes. “

Another goal of the program is to help the children make something that they can donate to local homeless shelters and to others in need.

Loop It Up Savannah has plans to expand the number of volunteers and students in this program when the next phase begins in January 2009.

 Warm-Up America http://www.warmupamerica.com/home.html
Loop It Up Savannah http://loopitupsavannah.blogspot.com/