Grayslake teen donates blankets to Vista

Young patients in the pediatric unit at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan can thank Kimberly Ziegenhorn as they snuggle up in their new, colorful blankets.

That’s because Kimberly, a 13-year-old from Grayslake, recently donated all 24 blankets she made by hand as part of a youth service project through St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Gurnee.

“I wanted to help the kids and give them a little comfort while they are in the hospital,” Kimberly said.

She made half the blankets for girls and half for boys, with a variety of design patterns that included robots, flowers, camouflage and stripes. Making the blankets and donating them to Vista was strictly the eighth-grader’s own idea.

Lisa Lees, patient care manager of Vista’s Pediatric Unit, said she was especially surprised and touched when Kimberly and her mother delivered the blankets.

“We’re so grateful for Kimberly’s kind donation of blankets for Vista’s tiniest patients,” Lees said. “The kids are going to love these blankets, especially because they were handmade with love.”