Metro Detroit high school students create blankets for children in need of comfort
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A group of Metro Detroit high school boys are taking a break from their studies and activities to pick up a new hobby for a day.
It's called Fleece and Thank You, a business started by a Detroit Catholic Central High School alum who makes blankets for children in hospitals across Michigan.
"I moved to Australia after college and played soccer for a bit and then started working in different nonprofits helping kids in the hospital. Moved back to Michigan in 2015, got a text message from my twin sister asking me to make a blanket for a kid in the hospital, and just started asking how many blankets you need, and turns out every hospital needs blankets and so I started Fleece and Thank You," said Nicholas Kristock, creator of the nonprofit. "One of the first places I called was ACC. 'It's me again. I'm back, and I've got this crazy idea and do you want to help out?' And they've been helping out ever since."
Kristock says they have an annual goal of 30,000 blankets in the state and eventually expand to the Midwest and across the country. So far, they've been able to make 15,000 to 20,000 blankets a year.
"When people talk about making blankets? I don't really think that they envisioned an all-boys high school doing something like that. But we constantly ask the kids, 'Who is the man you seek to become? What do you want to be known for?'" said Aaron Babicz, athletic director for Detroit Catholic Central High School. "So when we presented like that and tell them that their goal is to be known as servant leaders. It's an easy sell and having Nick tied to it and being able to give back to kids and the community, it's a no-brainer for us."
"We're doing this for the greater good, the community, and because we just want to help ... and we think that it's really beneficial for the people," said Andre Schumacher, a student at Detroit Catholic Central High School.
For volunteering opportunities with Fleece and Thank You, visit here.
