To celebrate Giving Tuesday I am excited to share a sweet little luncheon I had the privilege to host the other week for The Magic Yarn Project. My favorite Alaskan gals and I had the opportunity to spend a few hours away from the kiddos (except Magnolia of course), enjoy a lovely lunch of salads and mimosas, and get crafty for a phenomenal organization. Have you heard of The Magic Yarn Project? It is a wonderful organization that creates wigs for kiddos who have lost their hair when undergoing cancer treatment. The wigs are extra special because they are made of yarn and are created to look like the hair of beloved princesses (and pirates!), so the little cancer fighting gals and buds can rock magical hairdos during treatment. We created Rapunzel wigs!
The Magic Yarn Project was founded just one year ago here in Anchorage by Holly Christensen (a pediatric oncology nurse) and Bree Hitchcock. Chemotherapy treatments leave young scalps too sensitive for traditional wigs, but yarn-wigs are comfy, soft, and warm. By creating wigs that resemble little girls’ favorite princesses, it helps promote laughter and fun during a very scary time. It reminds littles to believe in magic and stay strong throughout treatment. It lets them be a princess rather than a child who has cancer. Considering I work in pediatrics and oncology, this mission really spoke to me and I couldn’t wait to get involved more. Also, the beanies were handmade at the local women’s prison as part of the vocational rehabilitation program which is another great program to support!
Since The Magic Yarn Project was born, they have created more than 1100 wigs that have shipped to over 20 countries. The Magic Yarn Project has been featured on The Today Show and is growing by the day! It is funded 100% by volunteers and donations, so if you’re in the giving mood for Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to this amazing cause. The kiddos who receive these wigs do not pay anything out of pocket and, as you can imagine, the waiting list is long and growing.
Even if you don’t live in Alaska, you can still get involved! Wig making parties occur everywhere– tutorials are online, which means anyone can gather a group of gals together to contribute. It was such a fun way to spend the afternoon with friends while helping others. It was also wonderful to witness the community come together in honor of The Magic Yarn Project. Our lunch was generously donated by Sweet Caribou and the flowers were also donated by Bloomsbury Blooms. I just love this little Anchorage community of entrepreneurs with big hearts for great causes.
If you are interested in getting involved, click here to donate (which pays for materials and shipping costs) or click here to inquire regarding hosting your own workshop! There is a quick– albeit heart wrenching– video that goes into more details of the inspirational organization. I highly recommend watching it!
A million thanks to everyone who participated that made this luncheon possible! Sweet Caribou for amazing macarons and salads, Bloomsbury Blooms for florals, Bree from The Magic Yarn Project, all of the gals who subjected themselves to my need for photographing everything as well as their wig-making talents, and Kristian Irey for photography.
Shop the luncheon:
