Sandy Truax laughs as the knitting needles click and clack together, furiously moving back and forth. A colorful hat continues to grow from the movement of the needles -- as if formed by magic. “Watching someone knit is like watching paint dry,” she jokes as she continues to craft her colorful apparel.
Sandy
has been at NYCM Insurance for 32 years but she started knitting well before
her time at the company. She first picked up the craft when she was 11 years old - having
learned from her grandparents' neighbor - and for the past five years has been
using her love of knitting to give
to charity.
Sandy
was first inspired to start knitting for charity when she got her Pekingese dog,
Fidget. Knowing that Fidget needed to be socialized, she began taking her to Chase Nursing Home to interact
with the residents.
“Even on what seemed like the hottest
days to me, those folks were always cold,” Sandy recalled. In an attempt to
bring the residents some warmth, she started making slippers.
“The day I got there with slippers, some
of the residents were already in bed for the evening. The director took a pair to
one of the residents and had her stick her foot out to try one -- The lady
pulled her foot back under her covers and wouldn't give the slipper back! That
was the start of my attempting to keep the world warm.”
Since
donating slippers to the nursing home, Sandy has expanded her charitable
repertoire to include hats and mittens and has created over 300 items for
charity. Sandy donates her items to the local community to organizations
including Edmeston Central School, the Methodist Women of Edmeston, Chase Memorial Nursing Home and Rehab
(now Chase Health), the Methodist Church of New Berlin, the Edmeston Rotary
Christmas Giveaway, Burlington Flats Pre-School and the Edmeston Fire
Auxiliary. She also donates items through our winter clothing drives at NYCM Insurance.
In 2019, Sandy made the commitment to
knit and donate 200 hats to St. Jude’s Hospital. She realized that while she
can’t cure St. Jude’s patients, she can at least offer her help in trying to
keep the children warm with her knitting.
Aside
from being incredibly thoughtful, Sandy is also dedicated down to the finest
detail – using worsted weight yarn to create her cozy apparel, knowing that its
durability will stand up to the test of time and hospital washing machines and
dryers. Several NYCM employees have been inspired by Sandy’s charitable efforts
and – in support – have offered up skeins of yarn and donations for purchasing
materials to help her reach her goal.
“I’m lucky to have such supportive
co-workers,” Sandy reflects. “NYCM Insurance believes in work-life balance more
than any place else I have ever worked.”
Sandy’s feelings towards her co-workers
are clearly reciprocated as Sandy is also a recipient of the Vision in Action
Award – an award created at NYCM Insurance designed to recognize employees who go above and beyond in their work
and interactions with customers. To win a Vision in Action Award, one must be
nominated by one of their co-workers.
“I think my knitting will
give me purpose when I retire,” Sandy laughs, thinking to the future. “Whether
it’s making a hat for a child in their favorite sports team’s colors or
donating to children in need, making something that I know will truly keep
people warm means a lot.”
Join Sandy in her mission to keep the
world warm by clicking on the button below and downloading a free knitting
pattern to start making your own hats.
