Roosevelt is known for its wide variety of clubs and extracurricular activities, one of which is the knitting/crochet club. Meeting once a week on Mondays through Zoom, the club brings together anyone who would like to learn the art of knitting and/or build their skills in the craft. The club encourages anyone, accepting beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. It is run by president Julia Groen with co-presidents Ife John-Idiagbonya and Vanessa Lewis.

One overarching goal of this club is making projects, such as scarves, blankets, and hats for donation purposes. “It’s a more casual club,” mentioned Groen, “we teach everyone who wants to learn and do projects to help the community.” Last December, each member of the club crocheted or knitted a red scarf for the Red Scarf Project, which is part of a foster care success organization. In previous years, the club has also made “blankets for shelter pets and scarves for victims of domestic abuse” noted Groen. After donating the finished project, students can earn community service hours. 

Members of the club appreciate the effort that the president and co-presidents put into running meetings and ensuring the club is successful. Jasmine Wilson, a junior at ERHS, believes that “Julia and the other co-presidents are very willing to teach and help others” during meetings. Wilson commented that “they take the time to help you with whatever you are doing.” Overall, the president and co-presidents create an inviting environment that promotes learning of the craft and creates a community that reflects students’ enthusiasm to help others.

With the onset of COVID-19, switching to an online setting for the 2020-2021 school year was inevitable. Despite difficulties that virtual meetings bring, the club is still able to thrive. “It’s a lot easier to teach and create together in-person, but we’ve still had some great participation,” says Groen. The club also had issues collecting finished projects for donation, but members were easily able to mail/drop-off their scarves directly to the organization.

Joining a club is always a great way for exploring hobbies and self-expression. If you are interested in a club, it is never too late to join!