Local student starts knitting club to make comfort dolls for sick, injured kids

Mairi Hallman is on a mission to save the world. The grade 12 student at St. Michael Catholic High School is starting off small, with her own community. Hallman volunteers at the Kemptville District Hospital Emergency Room (ER) every Sunday.

She explained she’s interested in biochemistry, microbiology and medical research, so it was a perfect fit. Hallman noted she helps people find their way around and offers assistance to people who are in pain or cold.   

Through her volunteer work, she found out about the comfort doll project. The initiative was launched by Johanna Kuntz, a retired nurse who has been volunteering at the hospital since 2016. Soon after she started, Kuntz began making and handing out knitted dolls to children in the ER. Since then, more volunteers have jumped on board and over 836 dolls have been handed out to date.  

Hallman decided to start her own knitting club at school to contribute to the project. She organized a bake sale, raising over $100, to buy the materials to make the dolls. The club meets every Tuesday afternoon. 

Hallman says the goal is to keep the club going, by passing the torch, after she graduates in June. She is heading to the University of Ottawa in September, to study biochemistry in the French immersion stream. Hallman hopes to get her Masters and eventually PHD in microbiology, immunology or virology. She noted her plan is to go into research for bacteriophage therapy, which is essentially viruses that attack bacteria. Hallman explained that with the rise of antibiotic resistance, bacteriophage could offer an alternative way to treat superbug infections.