Redlands Community Hospital and Sewing Center Deliver Newborns in Holiday Stockings

An 82-year-old tradition continued this year when Redlands' Sewing Center stitched together oversized holiday stockings to ensure that every child born at Redlands Community Hospital in December goes home swaddled in a unique holiday gift to commemorate their seasonal birth. "This is a true labor of love given by all of the volunteers in the Redlands Sewing Center," said Lauren Spilsbury, vice president of Patient Services. "We are so grateful to them for helping us keep such a great tradition alive. The staff loves to present the parents with the stocking, and they are always extremely excited about the gift." The tradition of the holiday stockings began in 1930 by the Linen Committee, now known as the Sewing Committee, which was comprised of hospital auxiliary volunteers. They were primarily in charge of making sure that all of the hospital sheets, pillowcases and towels were laundered and mended. Over the years, the committee saw a decline in membership and was forced to halt the stocking service. In 2005, Hospital Auxiliary volunteer Sylvia Terifay reached out to the Redlands Sewing Center for assistance in restarting the program. In response, the center gathered volunteers in and outside of their membership, and the stockings once again became a part of the Redlands Community Hospital holiday tradition. "It seemed logical to utilize people in the community who like to sew," said Terifay. "I was ecstatic when I got confirmation from the store owner. I knew Redlands Sewing Center would come through in keeping the tradition alive."