When the Evergreen Sitari Retirement Village opened its doors in August 2024, resident Lettie Bedeker noticed a room full of talented women sitting around with idle hands and this bothered her.

Drawing on her background as a former teacher for learners with special education needs – where she used knitting to improve hand-eye coordination – Lettie decided it was time to get the women busy.

Today, the Evergreen Sitari Knit Group has grown into admirable community upliftment project, proving that retirement is anything but a time for sitting still.

What started as a way to pass the time has evolved into a fully-fledged charity pipeline.

Comprising about 12 to 15 dedicated women, the group fills a large box with hand-knitted ponchos, blankets, beanies, and scarves to combat the winter chill every six weeks.

In January, the group launched a formal partnership with the Pebbles Foundation, an organisation that supports children from agricultural areas from infancy all the way through to matric and tertiary job placement.

“We heard of their needs and just knew we had to help,” says Lettie, who also runs a weekly Bible study on Tuesdays. “We feel so good doing this. The reactions we get make our hearts absolutely melt.”

The group’s generosity doesn’t stop at winter wear. Through a series of successful raffles, the knitters recently raised R3 700, which has been donated directly to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

While the knitting group focuses heavily on external outreach, their handiwork is also transforming lives right at home within the village’s own care centre, thanks to a heartwarming collaboration with resident Denise Elkin.

Denise, who studied dementia and runs a local support group for affected spouses, is deeply passionate about improving the lives of those in specialised care. Having previously run similar initiatives at Evergreen Muizenberg, she knew exactly how to bring comfort to Sitari’s residents.

Though not a member of the knitting group herself, Denise commissioned the women to create specialised “care bears” and “fiddle blankets” – the latter featuring sewn-on gadgets, buttons, and textures designed specifically to soothe and stimulate dementia patients.

To add a touch of spiritual comfort, Denise invited Reverend Ralph Afghan from the Coronation Avenue Methodist church to formally bless the bears.

“I sew on labels at the back of each bear with the resident’s name,” Denise explains. “I tell each person when I give them their bear that it’s to remind them they are never alone, and that God is always with them. They absolutely love hugging their bears when they feel sad or lonely.”

To keep this wave of kindness going, the Evergreen Knit Group is constantly in need of raw materials.

. Community members, local businesses, and avid crafters are warmly invited to contribute wool to the cause by calling the Evergreen Sitari Office on 087 808 7000 for arrangements.