Volunteers were still unpacking boxes for this year’s Beauty, Bubbles & Bites event when a woman approached the Hooked in Haven table and bought four handmade crocheted bags.
Before the station was fully set up, seven bags had sold.
Musbah, 10, Hila, 11, and Sana, 12, were blown away.
Just weeks earlier, the children at Hope through Housing’s Sunset Heights after-school program had been sitting around a table, unraveling stitches, starting over and wondering if they would ever get the hang of crochet.
Whenever frustration set in, After School Program & Services Coordinator Floater Madison Settle reminded them, “You can do hard things.”
Settle taught herself to crochet four years ago during a stressful season of her life. The hobby helped her relax and find peace. When Hope through Housing challenged the after-school programs sites to create clubs, she knew exactly what she wanted to share.
“Clubs are important because they give kids opportunities to learn skills, they might never have had the chance to learn,” said Settle. “They teach life skills and provide structure, community and creative outlets.”
About 10 children joined Hooked in Haven, but when the opportunity to sell bags at the annual fundraiser came along, Settle knew it would require commitment.
Out of the group, she chose Musbah, Hila and Sana.
Not because they were the most talented.
Because they kept showing up.
“I chose these three out of the group because I saw that they were consistently coming to our meetings, they were focused and I saw the qualities needed to succeed in each one of them,” Settle said.
Leading up to the event, the three met up one to three times a week over five weeks to make 20 bags. If Settle spotted a hole or a missed stitch, they started over.
“Do you want to sell something when you know you could make it better, or do you want to sell something you’re proud of?” she would ask.
The answer often meant starting over.
When asked what they gained most from the experience, all three gave the same answer:
Patience.
“It’s calmed me down and it’s something I can look forward to doing,” Sana said.
“It taught me how to be more patient and how to keep on trying,” Hila said.
For Musbah, patience grew into confidence.
“You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it,” he said.
Settle watched each child grow. Musbah grew in confidence and took charge talking with customers. Hila became more responsible and organized. Sana emerged as a leader and took the work seriously.
By the end of Beauty, Bubbles & Bites, all 20 bags had sold, raising $400 and generating even more orders.
But what surprised the children most wasn’t how quickly the bags sold.
It was seeing people use them.
“I felt proud of myself when I saw the ladies walking around using the bags we made,” Sana said.
“It felt great to see them using the bags because I never expected them to love them so much,” Hila said.
After sharing their experience with the rest of the club, Musbah, Hila and Sana have inspired friends who want to earn a spot at next year’s Beauty, Bubbles & Bites event.
“I knew that when I chose these three, they were going to set a great example for the rest of the kids,” Settle said. “I knew it would inspire them to want to learn something new and be serious about it.”