Crochet for St. Mary’s

Two Palisade Seniors, Ian Shiao and Kate Frickey, are completing their CAS project through crocheting for St. Mary’s! Shiao and Frickey are both in Palisade’s IB Diploma Program, working very hard to get a head start on their college careers and amplify their transcripts. As a part of this program, they are required to complete a CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) project to emphasize the importance of teamwork and shared outcomes. Ian Shiao was interviewed for this project to learn more about what it is the duo is doing and what they’re trying to accomplish. “We’re going to be crocheting baby hats for the NICU at Intermountain Health,” Shiao states. The NICU, also known as the neonatal intensive care unit, is a department in the hospital that provides care to newborns who are in critical condition and need stability. Shiao stated, “I’ve been crocheting since seventh grade, so it’s pretty innate to me, and my parents work in the healthcare system at Intermountain Health,” when he was asked why he wanted to do this project. In addition, he states, “I love babies and kids.” Shiao is very passionate about knitting and helping children, so combining the two is a goal achieved for a passion project. “We’re in the process of making the hats right now, but we’re hoping to get them delivered by winter.” Shiao states that both he and Frickey are making about 50 hats to be delivered soon. Also, Shiao stated that he wanted to, “Represent that you can donate to hospitals no matter what, even if it is nontraditional items. You don’t have to donate medical equipment or anything like that.” Shiao and Frickey are going above and beyond in their CAS project to help babies in need of care and kindness.