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WELCOME CHARITY CRAFTERS
Facebook ID: Jessi Taft Vance

“I am only one, but I am one!!! I can not do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And, what I ought to do , by the grace of God I WILL do!!!”


Welcome VT Engage!

There is also a donation box on the campus of Virginia Tech, in Litton-Reaves Hall outside of Karen Gilberts office. You can find her office at 1350 Litton-Reaves Hall. Phone # is (540) 231-0691
New School Photo....

Welcome to The One Square At A Time Homepage! This Site is to promote and explain my service project that provides baby blankets, baby hats, and booties to mothers in need, in Montgomery County, VA.

My name is Jessica Vance; I am the middle school recipient of the 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Award for my home state of Virginia. For five years now I have been crocheting baby hats, booties and blankets that I donated to my local hospital's Birthing Center, and a Pregnancy Center where they are given to mothers in need. Who is a mother in need? Any mother expecting a new baby or just given birth to a new baby is a mother in need. Needs aren't always financial. Over the past five years I have been able to crochet 1504+ baby hat and bootie sets and 316 blankets, 101 sweaters, 267 newborn clothing items, 11 lapgans,14 Stoma covers, 5 Hokie Healing blankets, 66 preemie blankets, 217 preemie hat and bootie sets,1 preemie diaper set, 24 preemie gowns, 2 baby capes, 66 crocheted toys, 14 baby bibs, and 10 crocheted Christmas stockings, but many more are needed. I realize I am going to need some help........That is where you come in............You don't even have to know how to knit or crochet!!! The Knifty Knitter or any other round loom can be used to make squares and hats. I have instructions for making these "knit" looking squares on the loom under the Crochet patterns page. You can also use the blue Knifty Knitter loom to make newborn size hats. they go so quickly....



Mom made this one....Another one mom made... Baby Girl Blanket....
(Here are pictures of just a few of the baby afghans for more photos check out the Donation Photos pages)

Can you help? The Items that are needed are:
    • 3" knit or crochet squares in baby colors.
    • 6" knit or crochet squares in baby colors.
    • These squares can be any pattern that you like!
    • Any weight acrylic yarn in baby colors (no wool please as some babies are allergic).
    • Any handmade baby hats, booties, sweaters, blankets( for preemies or newborns)
    • Preemie burial items
    • Memory boxes
    • It takes 36- 6" squares to make a blanket.
    • It takes 3-5 3" squares to make a hat depending on the style of hat.
    • It takes 16-36 3" squares to make a preemie blanket

    I have had many people ask if I accept squares made of other colors not just baby colors, they have yarn left from a project or two and could use this yarn to make squares and would I accept these squares also. The answer is YES..........these squares can be stiched together to make lapgans for seniors...or blankets for children....They can be donated many places locally....So yes, squares made from leftover yarn in 6" squares would be fine.
    If you have any questions please contact me at jlv40092@verizon.net or you can simply mail your donations to me:


    Jessica Vance
    PO Box # 11411
    Blacksburg, VA 24062-1411

    I will as I have time add patterns and photos of the designs that I use and that I have designed myself. I also use the website www.bevscountrycottage.com for many of my patterns. They offer free patterns to be used for Charity Donations.
    Bev's Free Patterns

    Colossians 3:23-24
    Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for
    the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an
    inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you
    are serving.

    Ephesians 2:10
    For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

    1 Timothy 1:12
    I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.

    Galatians 6:2,7
    Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

    Deuteronomy 15:10-11
    Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

    Matthew 25:40
    "The King will reply,' I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers of mine, you did for me."

    “Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our path, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.” Corrie ten Boom




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    Thanks Mom...

    One Square At A Time is an organization founded by Jessica Vance, a middle school student and recipient of 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Award for Virginia. Jessica collects knit or crochet squares in pastel colors for baby blankets. She then makes these squares into blankets for mothers in need. Jesssica also collects baby hats and booties. Here is the website for her organization if you would like to get involved: http://www.onesquareatatime.wetpaint.com
    (This was featured on the VT Engage Website)









    Sixth grade student Jessica Vance handles some of the knit baby items she has produced. Vance won a state wide award for volunteerism.
    Sixth-grade volunteer earns state award

    Jessica Vance crochets items for new and expecting mothers.


    Eleven-year-old Jessica Vance is already known for the more than 500 baby hat and bootie sets, 40 blankets and dozens of toddler hats she makes for mothers in need across the valley.
    But earlier this month, Jessica's volunteerism was recognized on the state level.
    Prudential Financial, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, named Jessica one of Virginia's top youth volunteers for 2007 as part of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. The
    Blacksburg Middle School Principal, Danny Knott, nominated Jessica. Jessica was top among 7,500 entries.
    As a recipient, she will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in May to meet other finalists from across the nation.
    Jessica said she plans to put the money toward college. The sixth-grader hopes to study forensic anthropology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
    Her mother, Barbara Vance, said Jessica has always been into criminal investigation TV shows, such as "CSI" and "Bones" -- when she has time.
    "She doesn't watch a lot of TV or play on the computer much," Vance said. "Even when I'm driving somewhere, she'll be in the back seat crocheting."
    Jessica estimates that she spends two to three hours a night crocheting, or "five hours when I'm bored."
    She uses her allowance money to purchase yarn.
    Her baby hat and bootie sets are distributed at Montgomery Regional Hospital Birthing Center, the Caring Pregnancy Center in Christiansburg, and as part of the "Warm Up America" project coordinated by volunteers who meet at the A.C. Moore craft store in Roanoke County.
    On the application for the community service award, Jessica indicated that she spent 258 hours volunteering in 2005 and 208 in 2006. The award is for the 2006-07 school year. According to her mother, Jessica had to answer very specific questions on the application about how she spent her time.
    Jessica started making potholders when she was 5, and she has since honed her skills and can make 15 baby hat and bootie sets during a snow day.
    She often makes her friends purses and scarves.
    "Lots of my friends support me," she said.
    When she travels to Washington, Jessica will be among 101 other state winners. The students will be broken into groups and sent to do a service project in the city's public school system. Students will also be expected to display a board about their volunteer projects back home.
    From that pool, 10 students will be chosen as national winners. National winners receive a trophy for their school and a $5000 grant to donate to a charity of their choice, Jessica said.
    She is excited about presenting her project, adding that she "started making things for babies because of her interest in the baby items that were hers when she was a baby and wanting mothers to have something homemade for their baby."
    "I think it's important to give things to new parents because it's important for their child's future," she said.
    Jessica said that she gets most of her ideas for new projects from her mother.
    "I mostly got all of my ideas and support from my mom because she made me my first baby blanket and booties," she said.
    Copied and edited from the Roanoke Times


    A Blacksburg girl is among the top 102 young volunteers from around the country.
    Eleven-year-old Jessica Vance was honored with a Prudential Spirit of Community Award. The 6th grader at Blacksburg Middle School personally crocheted more than 500 baby hat and bootie sets, 40 blankets, and dozens of toddler hats over the past two years.
    She gave them to local charities for distribution to expectant mothers. Jessica was honored yesterday in Washington D.C.. She even got to meet Peyton Manning.
    Copied from www.wdbj7.com
    Meeting Peyton Manning

    The Prudential 2007 State Honorees

    One Square At A Time page content Copyright 2007-2009 Jessica L. Vance - All Rights Reserved.


    Threads for this page

    Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
    C00kieDoughL HEY JESSICA (from Chorus) 5 Dec 1 2007, 7:54 PM EST by pls231
    Thread started: Nov 20 2007, 5:16 PM EST  Watch
    YO JESSICA

    I SEW, SRRY, CAPSLOCK. either wayz, I sew. is there anyway I could help with my sewing techniques like make toys or outiftez??? RVSP

    Alyssia can tell ya my email
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    pls231 Great job 6 Nov 6 2007, 11:00 AM EST by jlv40092
    Thread started: Oct 4 2007, 9:02 PM EDT  Watch
    Hey jessie, Great job We should show people how to crochet that will help othe people get involded that would be so cool. well see you at school!!!!
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    jlvance Setting up a web page about your service 0 May 30 2007, 8:43 AM EDT by jlvance
    Thread started: May 30 2007, 8:43 AM EDT  Watch
    Jessica, I want to be the first to say how proud I am that you have conceived of this site as a place to help you gather and promote ideas about your service project. I love that when you post directions for how to do certain stitches or designs, these are going to be YOUR directions, not just someone else's already-published directions cut and pasted from another site. I love the idea you mentioned this morning, too, that you also want this site to include stories about who has inspired you and more stories about to whom your site and all of your actual quilt- and baby-blanket making works are dedicated. I think this web site can be a great model for other people who want to start from "scratch" (or loose yarn!) and then become inspirational teachers. Keep going! Love, your friend, Jane
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