They aren't very big.
In fact...they are just big enough to fit comfortably into a young child's hands.
They are not sophisticated 'smart' toys.
Instead...they are the most basic of things...a simple little handmade gift.
Yet...the comfort that a little 'Izzy Doll' can bring to a child that has known fear and loss...and the lessons that it can teach those of us who have been blessed to know abundance and peace...are far greater than anything you might imagine.
The “Izzy Doll' was inspired by compassion. Master Cpl. Mark Isfeld of No. 1 Combat Engineer Regiment was serving on peacekeeping missions in Kuwait and Croatia in the early 1990s. He was moved by the children that he encountered...who had been traumatized by their circumstances...and often left with no toys or possessions they could call their own. So, Mark's mother Carol Isfeld began knitting little dolls that she could send to her son...so that he would have something to give to the children he encountered.
Mark Isfeld was killed in Croatia in 1994, while removing landmines. His mother has since died as well. But...their compassion and desire to do SOMETHING in the face of brokenness and despair..lives on in the form of the simple little 'Izzy Doll'. Volunteers continue to make the dolls...which have since been distributed to children traumatized by conflict or natural disasters in many different countries.
Debbie Sproat lives in Regina. She first learned about the 'Izzy Doll' when she decided to learn a old skill that has recently become increasing popular...knitting.
“I decided to start knitting about a year ago. I heard about 'Izzy Dolls' from a friend of mine. Her niece in Edmonton was making them. They are something that we were able to make...they aren't very hard to knit. So, a group of us began making them.”
Debbie also decided to tell her mother...Mildred Sproat...about the little doll...and the compassion that had first inspired the project...grew a little more.
“I've always been a knitter,” says Mildred. “When my daughter told me about this...I thought that this is something very worthwhile. It's something that a person can easily do...and you're not making something that will just sit in a corner somewhere.”
Mildred enlisted the help of her friend, Doreen Dew. Together, the two women have been making 'Izzy Dolls' for about a year. For Doreen... the 'Izzy Dolls' are a tangible way that she can help to make the world a little less hard for a hurting child.
“I'm not the greatest knitter in the world...but I can knit well enough to make pretty little dolls. It's always been important to me to be a volunteer...and do what I can for my community. This is no different...these children might live in another part of the world...but this is OUR world. When I think about a little one who has nothing...I want to help. By making these...we can at least give them something that they can hold close...and call their own. That way...they can know that there is somebody in the world that cares,” says Doreen.
Anyone who would like to join with Mildred and Doreen ...and begin making 'Izzy Dolls'...is invited to contact Doreen. She would be happy to supply them with the basic pattern for the dolls.
