SHARE

Darien Students Create Preemie Blankets For Danbury Hospital

DARIEN, Conn. -- Talk about having it covered.

Students at the "Blankets for Preemies" event at Darien's Middlesex Middle School,

Students at the "Blankets for Preemies" event at Darien's Middlesex Middle School,

Photo Credit: Submitted
Making blankets for special babies at Darien's Middlesex High School.

Making blankets for special babies at Darien's Middlesex High School.

Photo Credit: Submitted
Volunteers at the "Blankets for Preemies" event in Darien.

Volunteers at the "Blankets for Preemies" event in Darien.

Photo Credit: Submitted

The Tiny Miracles Foundation, in partnership with Darien's Middlesex Middle School, successfully rolled out its 10th annual “Blankets for Preemies” event last week with more than 200 student volunteers in attendance. 

The event was founded 10 years ago by science teacher Kelley Depiano. This year, it included a roster of students, some of their parents, teachers and TTMF volunteers from various towns throughout Fairfield County who together created 500 blankets. 

The Darien High School Community Council also arranged a "Blankets for Preemies Making Day" in the chill zone with high school students jumping in on the effort by finishing up the last 30 blankets.

Depiano, a mother a twins born prematurely, founded the program in honor of her friend’s preemie, Sean James Maloney, who passed away several weeks after birth. Depiano partnered with TTMF, and together they raise the money, as well as make and distribute the blankets to local neonatal units in Fairfield County, specifically Bridgeport Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Stamford Hospital and Danbury Hospital.

The colorful fleece blankets cover the hospital incubators, keeping them dark, warm and quiet, to support the fragile brain development in premature babies. When the infants finally go home, the blankets go with them as a special memory of the caring people looking out for them during this difficult time.

More than $100,000 has been raised over the past 10 years.

For more information about TTMF, visit www.ttmf.org/ or contact the Darien office at (203) 202-9714.

to follow Daily Voice Ridgefield and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE