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Volunteer knits 6,000 hats for newborn babies over past 28 years

In her 28 years as a volunteer for Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, Ohio, Betty Banks has knitted 6,000 baby hats and 50 afghans for local newborns.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — For Betty Banks, crocheting has been a lifetime pleasure. So when a persistent friend continued to ask her to crochet for newborn babies at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown, Ohio, Banks decided to give it a try.

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Twenty-eight years later, Banks has reached a personal goal of creating 6,000 baby hats and 50 afghans for local newborns.

Banks takes her volunteer work seriously, knowing the families enjoy receiving homemade gifts for their infants.

Once a month, she comes to the volunteer office at the hospital to turn in her baby hats as well as pick up a few skeins of yarn for the next batch. Banks has been crocheting for 72 years — since the age of 16 — and said she loves every minute of it.

 

“I love giving a baby its first bath and hand picking just the right hat,” said Amy Rader, a registered nurse at Atrium Medical Center. “The families love receiving a hat that was made with care by one of our beloved volunteers.”

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Banks has volunteered at the hospital for almost 30 years and is one of more than 200 who work with the hospital.