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The Progress |
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| ‘Pay It Forward' - Honorable mention reflects on his contest entry Friday, May 30, 2008 By Annie Lynn Staff Writer MUNSON - Ernest Gummo of Munson knew right away what he would do if he won the "Pay It Forward" contest sponsored by The Progress. In his entry, he wrote about the Butterflies of Hope, a group of women from the Forest United Methodist Church. He explained that they have been busy with several projects, such as sewing school bags to donate to the United Methodist Mission Central in Mechanicsburg. They also fill some of the bags and give them to youth services for kids to have while their parents are in court. They have even given filled bags to a school in State College. In addition, the group of women helped raise money to build a greenhouse at the West Branch Area High School. But, he is most proud of the women for a project they do to help the victims of fires and others in need. The group of six or seven women, which includes his wife, Linda, and his mother, Violet, meets every Monday at his home to make quilted blankets. Mr. Gummo said that in the past two years, they have given away approximately 55 blankets. He added that they do give some for missions, and some were sent to Mississippi for victims of Hurricane Katrina, but they like to see the blankets given to area residents. He explained that, although many are given to fire victims, one was given to a man whose neighbor saw his hanging on the clothesline and it was full of holes. The ladies also donated several blankets for an auction to help raise money for a local woman who needed help with medical expenses, and they have donated lap-size blankets to Mountain Laurel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Clearfield. There is never a shortage of people needing a helping hand, Mr. Gummo noted. The group crochets afghans for the same give-away purposes. Most of the material for the blankets and the yarn, Mr. Gummo explained, is donated and some they find at yard sales. The biggest expense, he said, is the batting, which is quite expensive. Some of the items have been sold in order to provide funds to purchase yarn and material. Linda Gummo said that people have also donated blankets, afghans, baby sweaters and baby blankets for the victims of fires and for missions. Violet Gummo noted that they put a tag in the corner of each item telling the recipient where the item came from, and Linda added that the identifying tag was formerly just a butterfly. She also noted that they are going to start making braided rugs. Mr. Gummo said the blankets give people something they can call their own, and the kids love it - they get a teddy bear with their blanket. Mr. And Mrs. Gummo's son, Tom, and his family were victims of a big fire in Philipsburg in 2005 and they lost everything, so the family knows how devastating a fire can be. "If I were to get this $1,000, I would donate it to this group so they could purchase more material and reach out to more deserving families," Mr. Gummo said. |
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