The Lynda’s Hats program is dedicated to Lynda Blake who died suddenly and unexpectantly on Sept 5th, 2007.
The mission of Lynda’s Hats is to “Make a difference in the lives of children in need through Protection, Prevention, and Proactivity”.

Update: Letter from Suzanne Blake

As I write to you today, we have received over 5,000 little hats along with some cash!
(...)
Just a few days ago my trip was temporarily postponed. The US Embassy and Canada issued a warning that travel to Zimbabwe was unsafe due to increased political tension and unpredictable outcomes. The political situation in Zimbabwe at this moment is in crisis with an election scheduled in the New Year.

For now, the cash, the drugs we have collected, and some of the hats, will be delivered by a friend of mine going to Howard Hospital in November. We will ship the rest to third world organizations for the wee heads of the children there and hopefully I will go to work at Howard Hospital in the spring or next fall. If you check this web site I will report to you all the places the beautiful hats went.

Suzanne Blake

(Read Suzanne's letter in its entirety here) Don't miss the hat photo!

Summary:

On October 25, 2007, three Toronto area registered nurses will be traveling as volunteers to Howard Hospital in rural Zimbabwe. They are going there to help Dr. Paul Thistle and his hospital staff protect the lives of newborn babies in the hospital's maternity ward. Many of these babies are born prematurely and require clothing such as hats to keep them warm enough to survive. Lynda Blake was an avid knitter, and an active supporter of the hospital. The Lynda's Hats Program is asking you to help purchase or knit these little hats and make them available no later than Oct 22, 2007 so they can be delivered by the nurses.

Lynda was “the spirit of gentleness” who had a deep love for children, and it is our hope that you can help us make a difference for some of the most vulnerable children in the world. Every day in the world over 35,000 children lose their lives. Our goal is to support the health and welfare of as many children as possible.

For more details about this program and Lynda Blake, click on About Us or About Lynda.

This website includes links to patterns if you would like to knit the hats yourself. If you don’t have the necessary skills you can still help by purchasing these hats on behalf of Lynda’s Hats and send them to the address below.

Please send the hats to:
Suzanne Blake
701 W, 500 Queens Quay West
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5V 3K8