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EAGLE MOUNTAIN – It’s unusual to hear the stitches of a sewing machine in an elementary school classroom, but this assignment isn’t meant for a grade.
It’s a chance for Brookhaven Elementary School students to share comfort with families of fallen first responders in Utah.
"My goal is for each child in sixth grade to be able to touch one of these blankets that they're making for these first-responder families and give each one of the immediate family members a blanket to provide comfort during their difficult times," said Tammy Bothelo, a sixth-grade teacher at Brookhaven Elementary.
Her idea of making blankets was inspired by the loss of a close friend in Ohio who was a police officer, which hit home again five years ago when a Utah County sheriff's deputy was killed in the line of duty.
“When (Sgt.) Cory Wride was killed here in Eagle Mountain, that brought all that up for me,” she added.
Bothelo buys supplies out her own pocket, with a few donations, and each sixth-grade student spends about an hour each week making the blankets.
“We learned how to sew, and I just barely learned how to crochet, and it's just really fun because we're helping people that have lost family members and they need comfort,” said Cambrie Pendleton, a student at the school.
The students work on the blankets every Monday and Friday, and by the end of the school year they plan to have 20 blankets to give to the families of fallen heroes.
The past year has been one of loss for many police departments in Utah, as well as a firefighter and a national guardsman.
“One person can make a difference in other people’s lives and help other people that have been sad,” said Landon Springer, a student at the school.
It’s teaching these students lessons about life they can’t find in any textbook.
“My goal, not only is to teach math and language arts, it's also to educate the heart, and the empathy and community spirit we need to build — not just here in Eagle Mountain, but throughout our state,” Bothelo said.
