Doll ministry puts toys under the tree
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A UMNS photo by Tim Griffis Betty Lou Stout has refurbished thousands of dolls over the years
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For
the past 35 years, Betty Lou Stout has refurbished thousand of dolls.
As a member of Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila, Wash.,
Stout and a group of helpers collect the dolls and make them look new
again. The dolls are distributed to underprivileged children in time for
Christmas. This year more than 200 dolls are being given new homes. A
UMNS photo by Tim Griffis. Photo #05-. Accompanies UMNS story #712.
12/21/05 |
Dec. 21, 2005
A UMNS Report
By Jan Snider*
TUKWILA, Wash.--It was a moment
Betty Stout treasures.
As the child and her mother
stepped onto the public bus, Stout recognized the doll lovingly clutched in the
arms of the little girl.
Stout noticed the doll clothes
that she had fashioned herself after the worn and pre-loved toy had come into
her possession. The doll also received a good scrubbing and a new hairdo before
being sent off to be loved again.
The 84-year-old Stout has
refurbished thousands of dolls over the past 35 years. "I just hate to think of
any little child not having a toy under the Christmas tree. I can't think of
anything worse," she explains.
Stout leads a team of "elves"
who gather on Thursday mornings at Riverton Park United Methodist Church in
Tukwila, Washington. The dolls are distributed to children who will have few, if
any, presents for Christmas. This year, more than 200 dolls will be presented to
children in the community near Seattle.
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A UMNS photo by Tim Griffis Besides a new dress, the donated dolls receive a good scrubbing and a new hairdo before being distributed.
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Pre-loved
dolls are donated to the doll ministry at Riverton Park United
Methodist Church in Tukwila, Wash. When the ministry first began, the
dolls had to be collected from garage sales and thrift stores. Money to
refurbish the dolls is raised by selling collectible dolls that have
been repaired. A UMNS photo by Tim Griffis. Photo #05-904. Accompanies
UMNS story #712. 12/21/05 |
"It's a regular assembly line,"
she notes. Some of the women specialize in sewing doll clothes, others crochet
new booties or fix hair. One homebound woman sews quilt blocks for doll
blankets. The ministry is active 11 months out of the year.
It doesn't take a lot of fancy
equipment or training to revamp the dolls. Stout uses her circa 1922 sewing
machine and patterns from when she made doll clothes for her own daughter, who
is now 61 years old. "What I told the girls when we first started was always
remember to make the dress look like it was the only toy their child was going
to get," says Stout.
If a doll has ink scribbled on
it, the ladies have learned to coat the ink spot with petroleum jelly and leave
it in the sun to bleach out. Because so many of the families that receive the
toys have limited funds, dolls requiring batteries are refurbished so that none
are necessary. Sensitive to a child's concern, battery wells are filled with
plaster so the dolls won't feel empty inside.
A doll is finished when it
looks new again. As Stout puts the finishing touches on a doll she expresses a
frequent wish, "I hope she gets a good little mother."
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A UMNS photo by Tim Griffis Parishioners bless the dolls before they are given to children at Christmas.
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Parishioners
of Riverton United Methodist Church in Tukwila, Wash. convey their
blessings on individual dolls before the toys are distributed to
underprivileged children. Over 200 dolls are ready for Christmas. The
ministry operates 11 months out of each year and has been finding new
homes for these pre-loved dolls for the past 35 years. A UMNS photo by
Tim Griffis. Photo #05-905. Accompanies UMNS story #712. 12/21/05 |
Many of the dolls are now
donated, but originally, the doll dressers had to scour yard sales and thrift
stores for suitable candidates. Money for supplies is raised by selling
collectible dolls that the ladies come across and fix up.
Right before Christmas, the
dolls are displayed in the sanctuary of Riverton Park United Methodist Church.
The Rev. Karla Fredericksen tells the congregation to, "Pick a doll, and send
your special prayer upon that doll."
And, while most of the doll
dressers never get to see the toys delivered into the arms of excited children,
Stout says, "We just hope and pray they go to children that need them and that
they'll know that they're loved."
*Snider is a
freelance producer for United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn.
News media
contact: Fran Coode Walsh, 615-742-5470, or newsdesk@umcom.org |