Janine has been working hard in Burnie, a small seaside town in Tasmania, to bring hearts to residents and visitors alike. When I received Janine’s letter, along with a lovely donation of hearts from her group of volunteers, I felt really touched and encouraged by what’s happening in various corners of the world, where hearts are being stitched and offered as part of our growing1000 Hearts community.
In July 2019, I went to Burnie and took part in one of Janine’s heart-making sessions and was blown away by the beautiful people stitching, chatting and sharing kindness with strangers. This group is a wonderful example of how the 1000 Hearts project can be shared in communities.
Here’s an excerpt from Janine’s letter so you can see for yourself…
“I am writing to thank you for allowing the Burnie City Council to be part of your beautiful project, 1000 Hearts. I am happy to let you know that the hearts are freely available from the front counters of the Burnie Regional Art Gallery and Burnie Regional Museum.
We have been running monthly workshops across the Gallery and Museum and have small, dedicated group of about 5 volunteers who come each month. We also have another 10 people who make hearts and drop them to us, plus donation of materials.
I recently went to the Emu Bay Lions Club to speak to the members about the project. They have kindly assisted us with a small amount of funds to purchase a kit that we use in our workshops. The Lions Club members asked me when we would stop making hearts and I replied “When we no longer need kindness in our lives.”
So far, our small but dedicated group has made over 1,500 hearts. We have had over 100 people join us to make hearts since November 2018,including high school students, volunteers, families and cruise ship visitors. Our youngest heart maker was just four years old.
Our volunteers in Burnie have made hearts which have been donated to students from UTas and the rural clinical school, the Cancer Wellness Room at the Burnie Hospital, the Lions Club and the International Women’s Day luncheon.
We are grateful to be part of this project that provides people with the opportunity to take a pocket-sized piece of kindness home.”
Janine’s group continues to grow and thrive in this beautiful corner of the world.
