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Hospital volunteers donate 675 knitted caps for babies 

A local newborn models his special birthday gift: a hand-knit caps crafted by the Twin Cities Community Hospital volunteer knitters.

A newborn models his birthday gift: a hand-knit caps crafted by the Twin Cities Community Hospital volunteer knitters.

All newborns at Twin Cities Hospital receive a warm, hand-made gift

Twin Cities Community Hospital’s Obstetrics Department, recently named one of the top high-performing maternity care units in the state, makes the miracle of childbirth even more special this year by offering infants a special, hand-made gift.

Members of the Twin Cities Community Hospital Volunteers, a non-profit organization initiated to provide support to the doctors and nurses of Twin Cities Community hospital, have knitted 675 cozy caps in total, one for each baby who was delivered at the Twin Cities Obstetrics Department this year. In addition to the caps, hand-sewn Christmas stockings are also made for each baby born in the month of December.

“The hospital works so hard to ensure the most comfortable maternity experience possible at Twin Cities. We hope to reinforce that care and devotion with these handmade caps, which provide a warm and festive gift for babies and a special keepsake for parents,” says Co-President of the Volunteers Wilma Breig.

Breig says that nineteen volunteer knitters craft the homemade caps on their own time and donate them to the OB Department. She estimates that each cap takes around two to four hours of manual labor to complete.

“Our volunteer knitters love being a part of this project. It is a fun and meaningful way we can reach out and show our compassion and care for the tiniest members of the community. Every baby is special and unique, and so is the cap they receive.”

Shareen Taylor, director of perinatal services, says that on top of providing the very best obstetrics services and equipment; recently upgraded, hotel-inspired rooms; and many classes and support groups for mothers and new parents, these hand-knit hats and the stockings given to babies born in December are the “icing on the cake” of the OB department’s efforts.

“The hospital staff—volunteers and employees alike—is so happy to be able to go the extra distance to make mothers and their newborns feel supported and loved during a very important time in their lives,” Taylor says.

Aside from the cap-knitting force, Breig says the hospital’s Volunteer program engages around 100 volunteers, with nearly 75 percent of those working at least once a week. Together, the volunteer staff has clocked more than 14,000 hours this year, participating in duties ranging from greeting and directing people at the front desk to helping keep the ER stocked, serving snacks to patients and doing odd jobs for the staff.

To become a volunteer, community members must fill out an application and commit to an available shift. Student volunteers must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and volunteer a minimum of 120 hours to the hospital. For more information about how to become a volunteer, a student volunteer or a volunteer mentor, contact Sandy Short, Membership Chairman of the Twin Cities Community Hospital Volunteers, by calling (805) 434-4524 or emailing sandy.short@tenethealth.com.

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The news staff of the Paso Robles Daily News wrote or edited this story from local contributors and press releases. The news staff can be reached at info@pasoroblesdailynews.com.