Eleven-year-old Lucy Blaylock is not your average sixth grader.
She’s an amazing daughter, a good friend, and she owns a non-profit called Lucy’s Love Blankets.
Lucy was only eight years old when the idea came to her.
“I wanted to come up with a fun gift I could make my friend for her birthday, and after talking to my mom about it, we decided a blanket would be fun. After shopping for the perfect fabric, she sat with me and taught me how to sew.”
After Lucy successfully finished the blanket for her friend, she signed it off with a hand-stitched heart.
She even wrote a poem to go with the “Love Blanket”, a name she gave her thoughtful present.
The handmade birthday gift gave Lucy the most inspired idea.
“I decided I wanted to do more. I wondered if there were other kids who could use a little extra love. I thought maybe my mom could do a giveaway on her Instagram account, and I could find another child I could make a blanket for.”
With the help of her mom, they posted the giveaway online and pretty soon, they had 16 nominations.
Lucy couldn’t pick just one winner. She ended up begging her mom to help her make all 16 nominees Love Blankets, to which her mom willingly obliged.
Thus, Lucy’s Love Blankets was born.
Lucy and her mom do more than just sew pretty blankets. Through their initiative, they’re able to reach out and make each of the recipients feel loved and appreciated.
Working on Love Blankets comes with both happy and sad moments.
According to Lucy, one of her favorite things about making Love Blankets is hearing each sender’s story and seeing their pictures. Through what they share, Lucy is able to enjoy even more the process of picking out the right fabric for them.
But there’s also a lot of difficulties that comes with making Love Blankets.
“The hardest thing about making Love Blankets is knowing certain blankets are going to kids who are dying. There have been a couple of times when we haven’t been able to get the blankets shipped in time before they passed away. Those have been hard for me. But my mom always tells me it will still be a gift that will mean a lot to their families, so I’m always glad we’ve sent them.”
While there are heartbreaking instances that make it challenging for Lucy, she shares how there’s so much to learn, too.
She believes every act of kindness matters, and she loves how easy it truly is to be kind.
“The one thing I’ve learned the most is no matter how hard the challenges are these kids are dealing with, they are really strong. It has made me grateful for my life and for my blessings. I can’t fix the problems they are dealing with, but I can make them a Love Blanket and let them know they’re loved.”
Lucy and her mom have made over 600 blankets shipped to over 17 countries worldwide.
Kids who write to Lucy struggle with a variety of challenges: bullying, mental illness, disability, school trouble, and even family issues like divorce.
And that’s what Lucy’s Love Blankets aims to do: send a little bit more love to kids who need it the most.
Like her, may we all hold on to the belief that anyone can make a difference.
Who knows? That one simple act of kindness could actually be just what someone needs.
Lucy’s inspiring story is a beautiful reminder to step up and extend goodness to everyone we meet, and that no gesture of compassion is too great or too small.
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