By Beth Zarret
Lambertville, NJ – January 11, 2009 — Who wouldn’t smile if they woke up to bright happy colors and cheerful pictures every day? Cindy Kerr would. And she believes all children with life changing illnesses would, too. That’s what led her to begin sewing colorful pillowcases for children in hospitals and pediatric hospices with life changing illnesses. The pillowcases are intended to give their recipients “A Case for Smiles.”
What began as one pillowcase for her own son, led to the creation of ConKerr Cancer and the distribution of 59,000 pillowcases to children in over 80 hospitals and pediatric hospices across the United States, Canada, and South Africa. When Ms. Kerr’s son, Ryan, was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, she sewed him a pillowcase he loved so much, she was inspired to make pillowcases for other children on the Oncology Unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Ms. Kerr’s faithful dedication to ConKerr Cancer’s cause earned her the honor as a L’Oreal Woman of Worth. To keep up with the ever growing need for the pillowcases, Ms. Kerr developed sew-ins.
Tickles & Toes children’s boutique is proud to partner with ConKerr Cancer to host the first sew-in at a retail establishment. On January 31st, Tickles&Toes will open its doors to a small army of sewing machines and an enthusiastic group of store employees and community members. After a brief sewing lesson for those unfamiliar with sewing machines, the group will spend two hours sewing pillowcases.
The sew-in helps expand the reach of ConKerr Cancer’s message, and contributes towards its goal of giving a bright and cheery pillowcase to every seriously ill child in North America by 2012. The spirit and focus of ConKerr Cancer is consistent with Tickles&Toes’ four pillar business philosophy: children first, charity involvement, a community connection and a strong desire to meet the needs of clients. Tickles&Toes event organizer, Beth Zarret, remarks, “We want to contribute to a charity that is consistent with our beliefs that children are our gift.”
“It’s amazing to know how much one pillowcase can brighten a whole life and a whole room. The pillowcase is a cheerful reminder of hope and kindness. Not only did the pillowcase tell us that others have shared in these difficult times, but also that a touch of love and color helps give you a little more strength to fight through such a serious illness,” says the mother of a boy recovering from a brain tumor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The public is welcome to stop in Tickles&Toes between 9:30 am to 11:30 am on January 31st, to see the transformation of a local retail establishment into a bustling, noisy sewing factory. Cindy Kerr, Founder of ConKerr Cancer, and the other participants will be on hand to greet visitors. If you would like to participate in or contribute to the Sew-In, please call Tickles&Toes at 609-397-1941. Monetary contributions will be accepted.
