Hats off to helping hands

COEUR d'ALENE - The number of rapid movements of hooks and needles is mind-boggling.

The Mad Hatters, a group of local people who have come together to make hats for those in need and lap robes for cancer patients, celebrated five years of efforts on Tuesday at Kootenai Medical Center.

The group of volunteers has knitted and crocheted nearly 14,000 hats in five years for babies, displaced children, homeless veterans and others in need. Members of the group said they feel like they're making a difference and having fun doing it.

Lori Schneider, director of women's and children's services at Kootenai Medical Center, thanked the Mad Hatters. She said KMC had nearly 1,700 births in 2009.

"All went home with a hat from you," Schneider said.

Beverly Browne, the group coordinator, said there are about 70 people in the group. It started in May 2005 with herself and only five others.

The Mad Hatters donate about 150 hats per month to KMC, said Browne, 70, of Post Falls.

"They are our future, those kids," Browne said.

The Mad Hatters also donate to Deaconess Medical Center, in Spokane; Valley Hospital and Medical Center, in Spokane Valley; Gritman Medical Center, in Moscow; and Bonner General Hospital, in Sandpoint.

"Crafters are so willing to help," Browne said. "That's just our nature."

Doris Thomas, 76, has been in the group more than two years.

"It is so rewarding to do what you love to do and know that someone is getting a benefit from it," said Thomas, of Hayden.

She became a Mad Hatter after meeting a member of the group while she was knitting a scarf in a doctor's office.

"We just struck up a conversation," Thomas said.

Browne said the group will likely keep growing.

Anita Longo, 69, of Post Falls, said she enjoys the camaraderie of the other group members.

"It's a kinship," she said.

She also likes to learn more about knitting and crocheting, and creating something of value for someone in need.

"This group is kind of a united force," Longo said.