Canadian children's hospital receives handmade finger puppets from around the world

(Image credit: iStock)

published 1 June 2018

For the kids who have to spend time at IWK Health Centre, a women's and children's hospital in Halifax, sometimes the only thing that can bring a smile to their face is a simple finger puppet, handmade by a volunteer they'll never meet.

Kylene Mellow, the hospital's manager of volunteer resources, told The Star Halifax that for two decades, IWK Health Centre has accepted handmade finger puppets to pass out to patients, their families, and visitors. Volunteers from around the world make the different kinds of puppets — some knitted, others crocheted or sewed together — and after the hospital announced in September 2016 they were running low, thousands upon thousands were sent in.

Mellow said that many of the volunteers who make the finger puppets are current or former patients or knew someone who once was hospitalized, and right now, there are about 75,000 finger puppets in storage, so they don't have room for any additional creations. They are kept in baskets around the hospital, a way to distract kids who are sick and going through medical procedures. For those who don't have a choice and have to be there, being able to pick out a finger puppet gives them a feeling of "empowerment," Mellow said. She estimates that about 1,000 finger puppets are distributed every month.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox