Coats & Clark recently participated in the annual Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day event held on April 24, 2008 in the courtyard of the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The day-long Pentagon event focused on kid-friendly art and craft projects. Kathleen Sams, Red Heart Ambassador, represented Coats & Clark, teaching the children how to make pompom bookmarks using brightly colored yarn.
"The kids and parents were literally chomping at the bit to get started," said Sams. "They were lined up at my table a half hour before the event started." The excitement continued throughout the day as children learned to create pompoms using the Mini Pompom Tool and bright colors of Red Heart Super Saver yarn. "Dads were learning to make the pompoms and crocheted chains so that they could help their children finish their projects at home," Sams further stated. "It was heartwarming to see these very proper military men being so caring and gentle with their children."
Over 1,000 children attended the second annual event. Organized by Linda Dennis from Connect and Join, a non-government organization that facilitates communication services among military families, the turnout was a huge success, with a 10% jump in attendance over 2007. Said Dennis, "As coordinator of the Pentagon event, one area I noticed that was filled with children was the Coats and Clark booth. The simple act of making a pompom and learning how to crochet a chain actually had dads and moms also picking up the crochet hook and the pompom maker so that they could learn, too!"
Each child at the event was presented with a copy of the new book from Connect and Join, Arts & Crafts Program Guide, which contains dozens of project ideas for kids' crafts, including instructions for colorful friendship bracelets using Red Heart® Super Saver™ yarn. The book is being distributed to teachers through Scholastic and is sold in AC Moore retail craft stores.
The Pentagon event opened with a ceremony to present twenty handmade quilts to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At the end of the event, all remaining craft supplies were donated to the playroom at Walter Reed to benefit children who are either visiting family members in the hospital or who are hospitalized themselves.

Pattern: WC1648 Pom Pom Book Mark