‘Little Hats’ program shuts down
By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
A popular volunteer program that provided tiny hats to area newborns has come to an end.
More than 350 people and groups in western Pennsylvania had participated in Little Hats, Big Hearts, which had been coordinated by the American Heart Association nationwide for the past four years.
The little red hats were given out in February to newborns as well as to children at some area emergency rooms, according to Nancy Bancroft of the American Heart Association’s Pittsburgh office. The purpose of the program was to raise awareness of congenital heart problems as well as the importance of living a heart-healthy lifestyle.
A message explaining the decision to end the program can be found at the American Heart Association website.
“For many years, the American Heart Association worked with volunteers around the country to help babies and moms celebrate American Heart Month in a special way,” it reads. “Thousands of volunteers hand-crafted red hats for babies born in February at participating hospitals. The hats symbolized a shared mission of promoting the importance of heart-healthy lives for everyone through the Little Hats, Big Hearts program.”
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