Precious Pillows

Lori Hammelman
Posted 3/15/18

It’s a project near and dear to Jeni Hardin’s heart and it is helping to provide a source of comfort to those in the grieving process.

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Precious Pillows

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ROCHELLE — It’s a project near and dear to Jeni Hardin’s heart and it is helping to provide a source of comfort to those in the grieving process.

Hardin is spearheading a new program, Precious Pillows, currently offered to families through Unity Hospice. The pillows, much the same as a Memory Bear, turn clothing from loved ones into a keepsake pillow for families. Hardin is the Volunteer Coordinator and Community Outreach for the Rochelle area hospice.

Hardin said the idea for the pillows had been brought up a while ago, and with her extensive sewing background and a little research she discovered making pillows was affordable. Hardin also posted the idea on social media to gauge volunteer interest.

Hardin’s mother, Karon Mathis, is also helping with the sewing.

“We’ve been talking about it but then my Grandma passed away in December,” Hardin said. “Mom and I said it’s pillow time. It was just an idea but with my Grandma’s passing it really inspired us. We both said we needed to do this.”

Hardin has already completed a handful of pillows since then and hopes to expand with more volunteers and eventually offer them to anyone in the community.

The pillows are a gift to the family and part of the bereavement services offered through Unity Hospice. After completing her grandmother’s pillow, Hardin made one from her grandfather’s favorite robe and two pillows for a 14 year-old girl who recently lost her father.

Precious Pillows 2 WEB

She also sews a patch on each pillow that says, “This is the shirt I used to wear and when you hold it know I am there.”

“These pillows are something different they will have forever, whether they tuck it away or keep it out they will always have that pillow. The girl getting these pillows…she will always look at it and remember her dad wearing it,” Hardin said, pointing to the latest pillows she has sewn. “You can have pictures all around, but this is something she can hold, hug, or cry on.”

Hardin expects to have two volunteers start sewing in April. For now, the pillow is offered for families of Unity Hospice patients, but Hardin said the program could expand to the community.

“We want people to know Unity Hospice and choose us, but the other side of it is, we are making a difference to somebody,” Hardin said. Knowing that, I would love to offer it to the community. I think it’s important for everybody, not just Unity Hospice patients.”

Along with its’ newest program, Unity Hospice offers several programs to help families in the grieving stages.

“The programs offered at Unity Hospice are not required by regulation, which is why they differentiate us as an organization. We are committed to continuously creating impactful experiences for patients and their families,” said Brenda McGarvey, Unity Hospice Corporate Director of Program Development. “Everything we do within our programming is meant to celebrate the life of our patients.”

For more information or to volunteer to sew Precious Pillows, please contact Hardin at 815-561-8866.