MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A Muskegon teenager is paying it forward by donating handmade blankets to an organization helping local kids.
Thirteen-year-old Mason Brunworth gave 10 blankets to the Child Abuse Council in Muskegon, which often works with child victims of sexual abuse. The blankets are used in place of standard medical sheets, making them feel a little bit more comfortable.
“When a kid comes in for a forensic medical exam they get to pick out their very own blanket and that’s what they use to cover up during that exam as opposed to the paper napkins like us adults get, and then they get to keep that blanket with them," said Kyleen Gee, Executive Director of the council.
Mason says it was all part of a project at Forest Park Covenant Church.
"We made these blankets," Brunworth tells FOX 17. "We made 10 of them, and they'er like kid size and stuff."
Gee says the blankets make a huge difference for the nearly 500 kids who come through their doors every year.
"It's amazing what a simple thing as just a warm fuzzy blanket will make a kid feel comfortable and at ease," Gee said. "And for a lot of these kids, just to know that they have something brand new that is theirs to call their own. They don't often get that chance, so it means a whole lot to them."
For a child who has experienced such trauma, Mason says it's the lease he can do.
"It's going to a good cause and it sucks that this happened to all these kids," he said.
Kyleen says she's very impressed with Mason's donation.
"In this agency we are so used to, on a daily basis, dealing with the worst that can happen to a child and their family that it's just really nice to have a positive spin on the day," she said.
The agency is always welcoming of any donations of new blankets for kids. They also accept stuffed animals, journals and individually wrapped snacks. Mason says if anyone wants to donate fabric and drop it off at the council in Muskegon he would be happy to make more.