During the holiday season, students in Monica Brown’s family and consumer science classes at Oxford Area High School made dolls to be donated to children being treated at Crozer Burn Center in Chester, Pa. The soft, all-cotton dolls are specially made to not aggravate the skin of a child being treated for burn injuries. 

“The students made these dolls in addition to all their required class projects,” said Brown. “I really only expected a few dolls, but the doll fever spread and I had to find extra fabric. Each day, more students came to me saying they wanted to make one of the dolls.”

Now in its fourth year at Oxford Area High School, the project was initiated by special education teacher Lovada Ott in conjunction with the Lioness Club of the Aston Lions Club, of which she is a member. 

After hearing that children being treated in the burn unit are not able to bring their toys to the hospital for safety and sanitary reasons, she enlisted the club’s support in getting the project under way, and felt it would be an ideal way for Oxford students to give back.

“In past years, the dolls were made by students for their graduation projects, however that was not the case this year,” Ott said. “That’s when Mrs. Brown decided to make the dolls an extra-credit project for her students.”

Several students in the clothing construction and life skills classes took up the offer, resulting in 22 dolls for delivery to Crozer Burn Center, the most in the project’s four years. “The dolls are unique in that they cannot have external fibers such as hair or attachments like buttons,” said Brown. “But each doll is soft enough for the children to hug and each features a big heart on the front. The children really love them.”