Beth VanSickle was a patient of breast cancer and was bedridden after surgery and chemotherapy. She was feeling sorry for herself when she remembered a sock monkey her grandmother had made for her as a child. It inspired her to help others, one sock monkey at a time. She thought the stuffed animals, so soft, cuddly and loveable, would be a great way to help people feel better. So, for starters, she decided to make 10 sock monkeys to give to a homeless family at her church. As a result of which, the Sock Monkey Ministries was founded in 2005.
Beth VanSickle then moved to Chelsea in rural Shelby County in 2006 and formed a volunteer program that counts more than 7,500 sock monkeys sent to people around the U.S. and abroad. The ministry, has churches and volunteers in more than 20 states. It operates through donations only and individuals or groups can sponsor monkeys for $20 each. The kits used to make the sock monkeys are supplied by Fox River Mills in Osage, Iowa, which has the patent to sell the Red-Heel socks that began being turned into sock monkeys decades ago. VanSickle said the company gives her charity a special rate. Hundreds of children have had a hand in making sock monkeys, like the university students, senior citizen at nursing homes and homebound volunteers. They make sock monkeys for young and old.
The “Monkey Posse,” a name VanSickle has given to her volunteers, receives requests ranging form one sock monkey to up to 300. The rewards can be palpable. VanSickle continues her battle with cancer.
Source: chron.com
Filed under Breast, Cancer, Health
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