Heavenly Hats
by Jane Znamenacek
November 03, 2009
Wilber-Clatonia Elementary students and staff participated in
Heavenly Hat Day on October 16, 2009.
Students and staff raised $181., with an enrollment of 291 students
and 30 staff members.
The students really enjoyed this event as hats are not normally
allowed to be worn in school.
These are photos of the Elementary Principal, Mr. B and students
that participated.
The Heavenly Hats Foundation was formed to benefit medical patients around the globe who lose their hair due to their disease or treatment of a disease.
"My program was started to provide brand-new hats for cancer patients and other medical patients who lose their hair due to a disease or the treatment of a disease. Heavenly Hats(TM) wants to be able to provide hats to individuals and hospitals in order to help the patients feel better about themselves and to give them the extra courage and hope to win their fight. Hair loss during the battle of a disease can be uncomfortable, depressing and at times even a little humiliating. The hat is just a small symbol of hope and love, but my wish is that it will have the power to brighten the patients day so that they can look to the future with a smile." Anthony
My inspiration to start Heavenly Hats(TM) started after spending time in hospitals when my grandma had breast cancer. I was able to see all of the patients in the hospitals, many without hair, and wanted to do something to help. I knew that if I was in the hospital and had lost my hair I would want a hat to wear.
It was in May of 2001, when I was ten years-old that I came up with the idea for Heavenly Hats(TM). It started out small and I thought that it would probably stay that way. I started by putting donation barrels in local stores and asking around my hometown for donations of new hats. The hats started to be donated and I was able to provide some hats to a few local hospitals.
A short time later the media heard about my program and really helped me to spread the word. This generated donations of hundreds of hats from businesses and individuals. At that point I started sending hats to hospitals in Wisconsin.
My next step was emailing hat companies and embroidery companies all over the world and asking for donations. This effort produced hats pouring in from as far away as Australia and Europe. It was at that point that I knew that I would be able to start sending the hats to hospitals and clinics all over the United States.
To date over 450,000 new hats have been donated to medical patients in need around the United States and other countries.
