SLP students will donate 100 blankets to needy children.

Through Community Cares for Kids, Dr. Collini and a team of surgeons have been providing desperately needed corrective surgery since 1997 for children in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The volunteer organization is based in Shavertown and has reached out to help needy children, particularly those born with birth defects or suffering from deforming injuries, like cleft lip and palate.

Community Cares for Kids was founded by committed volunteers and businesses to help needy children in developing countries. Every summer, a team of doctors and nurses work around the clock for a week to provide the necessary medical services and supplies to about 100 children who otherwise would not receive proper care.

During the June 5-12 visit, Dr. Collini and his wife, Susan, will also present about 100 children with comforting blankets that were made by Misericordia University Speech-Language Pathology majors, as well as two senior knitting clubs.

“We wanted to work with Dr. Collini because we wanted to support his humanitarian mission in Ecuador,’’ said junior Maggie Constable of Lewisburg, Pa., the president of Misericordia’s NSSLHA chapter. “It’s amazing how many lives he has touched. We hope the blankets that we make offer comfort to his patients.’’

The blankets will come in many different styles, sizes and colors. Some will be crocheted, while others will be knitted or assembled using fleece. The majority of the blankets will be made by 138 Misericordia University SLP students, under the direction of NSSLHA officers Maggie Constable of Lewisburg, Pa., president; Katie Lawlor of Hillsdale, N.J., vice president; Jen Lozier of Jessup, Md., treasurer; and Kelsey Davis of Clarks Summit, Pa., secretary.

Misericordia students will also be assisted by knitters from the Wesley Village-Brooks Estates Knitting Club of Pittston and The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Knitting Club of Wilkes-Barre. The knitters will sew a special message — “Sonrisas reconstruidas, caritas felices, esperanza cumplida’’ onto the blankets, which means “reconstructive smiles, happy faces and hope fulfilled’’ and a Misericordia University tag. Michelle Donato, secretary for the speech-language pathology program, also donated two blankets and yarn for the project.

“We wanted to do a project related to our field of study,’’ Constable said. “By organizing and participating in this worthwhile event Misericordia students are touching the lives of those most in need.’’

The Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at Misericordia University is a five-year master’s degree program, one of only three five-year programs in the country. The program offers students an opportunity to gain extensive clinical experience in the Misericordia University Speech-Language and Hearing Center. The center provides services to clients with a myriad of speech-language disorders under the direct supervision of faculty members.

For more information about the SLP program at Misericordia University, please contact Michelle Donato at (570) 674-8255 or log on to www.misericordia.edu/slp.

Caption:

Misericordia University speech-language pathology students and knitters from the Wesley Village-Brookes Estates Knitting Club of Pittston and The Good Shepherd Knitting Club of Wilkes-Barre are donating about 100 comfort blankets to children in Ecuador. The blankets will be given to the children when Dr. Francis J. Collini, M.D., and his wife, Susan, return to Ecuador in June. Organizers of the comfort blanket drive, are seated from left, Mrs. Susan Collini, Dr. Collini and Lori Cimino, SLP clinical director and NSSLHA co-advisor; standing, Jen Lozier of Jessup, Md.; Maggie Constable of Lewisburg, Pa.; Katie Lawlor of Hillsdale, N.J., and Kelsey Davis of Clarks Summit, Pa.