The Campus Ministry is putting on a social service event called “Learn to Loom” for students to make hats and give them out to organizations of their choosing. The organizations that the Campus Ministry teamed up with are HatNotHate, Ohio County Schools, local freeze shelters, orphanages and hospitals. These special blue hats represent an anti-bullying message and are donated to different organizations hoping to inspire those wearing them to stand up to bullying.

Diann Nickerson, who recently became the pastor of the Interfaith Chapel, oversees the Protestant Campus Ministry. Nickerson is currently trying to provide more projects for the campus to do for the community. In the most recent Learn to Loom meeting, she taught students how to loom and let students borrow the supplies to finish making their hats.

Nickerson says that the program will be “student-driven.” She suggests that students interested in looming watch videos on YouTube to see how looming works. Nickerson said that was how she learned to loom hats, because she is such “a visual learner.”

Shirley Carter is a part of the Catholic Campus Ministry. She has been helping with Learn to Loom alongside Nickerson. Carter explains that it all started with a conversation that could have a huge impact on the community. “A great way to connect students is through service,” Carter said when discussing community service projects to have on campus. The two ladies thought it would be a nice way to bring students together while also helping the community. Carter explains that she was so on board with the hat idea because of the success that other knitting groups have had with donating hats to the hospital for sick children and babies.

A West Liberty University (WLU) student, Courtney Louk, says that she had fun with this Learn to Loom program. Louk said “I watched the people around me and they were doing pretty good. They were laughing and having fun.” She explains that she didn’t make her hat correctly, but being with her friends made it worthwhile. Louk says that she will likely attend another event with her friends and plans on donating her finished hats when she gets better at the skill of looming.

Another WLU student, Kiersten Moses, says that she came to the event after her friend informed her about it. She thought it would be fun. “I’m enjoying it a lot,“ Moses said when asked about the program. Louk says she is planning on coming back for the next looming event. “It’s a really big stress reliever for me” Moses says about looming. She also suggests this relaxing event to others.

Moses’s advice for anyone who is being bullied is that it will eventually go away. Like most of us, Moses has been bullied before; however, her standpoint on the matter is that life continues, and everyone eventually grows up.

To discover more about Learn to Loom stop by the Interfaith Chapel and talk to Diann Nickerson for more details.