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Joyce Johnson with Hussain and Salee Allawe presenting her with a pillow.
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The Original Vacuum and Sewing Center Embroidery Club chooses a project each year that they can all participate in. We usually do something at Christmas time. This year Joyce Johnson read about this wonderful little boy named Benjamin who was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve in 1998 at the age of 5. During that year, Benjamin's mother made pillow cases for all of Benjamin's friends. Benjamin died the day before Thanksgiving in 1999, at the age of six. As a tribute to the smiling little boy, Benjamin's mother wants to continue making pillows for sick children and each pillow has a "Benjamin Smiles" tag on it.
Joyce contacted the parents and the project snowballed. When Joyce told the members about Benji, each member of the club volunteered to make travel pillow cases and purchase their own travel pillows to donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Greenville. Joyce contacted Gil Crowson of Pillows Galore in Taylors and he agreed to make the entire amount for us at cost. Thank you Gil!! One of the member's daughter-in-law, Sherry Grant, of the Nationwide Insurance Agency in Easley was so touched by the little boy's story that she volunteered to pay for all the pillows. Thank you Sherry!! Due to the response from everybody, we have so many pillows that we are taking the pillows to the Ronald McDonald House now instead of waiting until Christmas so that the children can be using them for comfort.
We know that little Benji is smiling on us when he thinks about all the children hugging bright colored pillows like his Mom made for him and all of his little sick friends. God bless you, Benji, for your wonderful smile.
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Members of the Embroidery Club holding pillowcases that they made. Gil Crowson (red shirt) made the actual pillows. Sherry Watkins Grant, bottom right sitting, paid for the pillows.
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Joyce Johnson (on the right) is the President of the Embroidery Club . She is standing with Marietta Louk, who is the Sewing Department Manager at the Original Vacuum and Sewing Center on Augusta St.
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