Mary Kisner has lived in the State College area almost her entire life, but her work in curriculum development at Penn State and then as a consultant in work force education has kept her on the road for much of her adult life.
Now that she’s retired, she is meeting her neighbors in Boalsburg, rediscovering her home economic skills from the 1970s and volunteering for some people she will never meet.
As a member of the local chapter of the American Sewing Guild the 62-year-old makes “memory bears” for the families of deceased hospice clients of Medi Home Health and Hospice.
The bears are stitched together with fabric that was once a favorite garment, and families are offered the bears as keepsakes, a way to grieve and remember.
Learn about how other ways hospices offer memory bears, and watch a clip from a volunteer and family recipient.
