Local senior on a mission to help orphaned children

(from The Fort Erie Times Saturday February 28, 2004)

When Fort Erie resident Wilma Saunders heard of millions of orphaned in Africa living without food and clothing much less toys it tugged hard on her heart strings.

But rather than simply feel sorry for the children the 83 year old grandmother turned what used to be a hobby into a crusade to provide the children with handmade dolls.

Saunders started the project in late December after her daughter, Linda Valvo told her of an episode of Oprah that had recently aired on TV. The show followed Oprah to South Africa where she brought loads of food, clothing and toys to orphaned children of AIDS victims.

Knowing her mother had a talent for making handmade dolls, Valvo suggested Saunders do up a few to sent to the children, And because Oprah had mentioned that black dolls were particularly hard to find Saunders made them accordingly.

But making only a few didn’t seem quite right to Saunders who knew there where millions of children in Africa living in poverty. So she decided to make them in batches of 100 “I make about 10 at a time,” Saunders says. “It’s like an assembly line. First I will do all of the skirts and than I’ll go back do all the faces.”

At 83 she admits her vision isn’t as good as it used to be, but as long her 60 year old box Singer sewing machine keeps going, so will she. “I’ll keep going as long as I can” she says, added with a laugh: “I wonder who will go first me or the sewing machine.”

Now as the number of dolls grows and her apartment nears 100, she hoping someone in the community will know how to get the dolls to the children in Africa. “I tried e-mailing Oprah’s Angel Network, but I got no response,” Valvo says. “We need to find some organization to get them over to Africa.”

Valvo says she has heard recently about local people who travelled to Africa on missions to help build homes for orphans, and she is looking for someone who is ether traveling to that part of the world themselves or who knows where and to what organization her mother’s dolls can be shipped. Anyone with suggestions or a means to deliver the Dolls can Contact Valvo at number removed (found someone)

In the meantime, Saunders will continue on her project, which she says benefits her just as much as the children. “my husband passed away in September, so this gives me something to do,” she says, “I hope them make some little girls happy.”