The Reido Project

In December of 2018, we lost an incredible man to Cancer.  A husband, a (step)father, a son, a brother, a friend.  Reid was many things to many people, but amongst all of these, Reid was a giver.  Reid gave back to his community every chance he had, through donations or volunteering his time. We started The Reido Project as a way to honor a man who had meant so much to all of us. Our way to give back, in his name. 

It started one day while deep "in the trenches" when a package arrived.  It came from a High School friend of our Mom's, someone she hadn't seen or heard from since graduation.  The package contained the most beautiful quilted blanket with the most heartwarming note.  She had heard about Reid and wanted to bring comfort to our family, she had made us this blanket so we could cuddle up and enjoy the time we had left. That letter has been read out loud no less than a thousand times and anytime someone new would stop by for a visit, we would pull it out and read it again - each time it touched us more than the last. 

We needed a distraction from the holidays, we needed to feel useful.  It happened 15 days before Christmas and to be honest, no one was in the mood to celebrate, we were a man down and everyone was deep in reflection of what the past eleven months had hit us with.  One of the things that stuck out to us during this time, was the kindness shown by friends, family, and complete strangers.  A kindness that had touched us all in our darkest hours. To say we were appreciative would be an understatement, the love and support we were shown, brought us to tears most days.  We knew how fortunate we were to have been surrounded by love and kindness and we wanted to make sure others felt it too.  We pooled the money we had set aside for Christmas and brought the materials to make 15 blankets then spent the next few days together hand making each gift.  To clarify, we are not talented enough to quilt a blanket, nor did we have the time... Christmas Day was just around the corner. We found a simple pattern and poured all our love into making the first 15.  

On Christmas Eve, seven blankets were delivered to the Rosedale Hospice - a place that had taken such great care of us 11 years before when we lost our Grandpa.  We spent Christmas Day on unit 112 at the Foothills Hospital - where Reid had first been diagnosed and recovered from multiple brain surgeries. We walked room to room handing out blankets, giving hugs to anyone willing to accept one, hearing their stories and sharing ours. The nerves we felt walking in quickly subsided and the love we shared with these families is a feeling none of us will soon forget.  Here we are a year later and when the topic of Christmas comes up, this new traditions is at the top of everyone's list. 

Our goal this year is to make 60 blankets - all by hand with the same love and care we received in our time of need. For the next month, we are committed to raising $2500.  100% of all donations will go directly to the materials and supplies we need to pull this off. The last weekend in November will be spent in Priddis with an amazing group of volunteers creating these blankets to be delivered to hospitals around Calgary on Christmas Day.  

While every dollar helps us get closer to 60 blankets, volunteering your time is also a great way to help us reach our goal.  If you have a few hours to give or a homemade blanket of your own that you would like to donate please contact us at [email redacted].

If you'd like to follow along on this year's journey search @thereidoproject on instagram. 

This is for you, Reid.