For 45 years, volunteers at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge created colorful 12-inch puppets to help ease the anxiety of young patients.
But now, in part because of the age of volunteers–and because the company that made the particular plastic face the volunteers liked is discontinuing production–“LG’s” run is over.
“We made the clowns because that is what the children liked,” said Evelyn Flavin of Arlington Heights, an original “LG” puppet maker and member of the Service League, hospital volunteers who stitched and delivered as many as 40 puppets a week to children at the hospital.
The first and last puppets made share a shadow box in the hospital halls–two of more than 46,000 stitched over the years.
Flavin, 90, said the program began at an Edison Park church, then moved to the hospital when it opened in 1960.
“We met each Tuesday. In the beginning there were 12 volunteers, but over the years, many have passed away or moved away,” said Flavin, who retired from making “LGs” three years ago.
Volunteers worked in assembly-line fashion, each with a specific duty. Service League dues paid for their materials.
“You had to close the head and stuff the head, attach the yarn, sew on the collar, gather the collar and thread the buttons,” Flavin recalled.
Except for a change in attire–pink gave way to red sometime over the years–the idea was to make each look the same.
The puppets went to pediatric patients dealing with diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and diabetes, said Emily Gotha, child life specialist at Lutheran General.
“The puppet was simple, small and subtle, and not too overwhelming for them,” she said. “The patients really enjoyed them.”
Roey Capobianco, 78, of Des Plaines, a hospital volunteer who helped sew “LG” in its last four years, said she has met parents who kept the dolls for years.
“We were crushed when we were no longer able to get the faces for the puppets,” Capobianco said. “But I guess all things have to end.”
But not entirely.
A new group has started stitching soft dolls made of plain material. Children and caregivers are encouraged to draw on the dolls to help the young patients understand what’s happening to them.
