As wildfires force families from their homes in northern Manitoba, a Winnipeg woman is using her knitting skills to bring a little joy and comfort to displaced families.
Kim Michalski enjoys knitting and recently knitted 13 Izzy dolls.
The Izzy doll was inspired by Master Corporal Mark "Izzy" Isfeld and his late mother, Carol. It all started when Isfeld was on his first peacekeeping mission to Croatia. On one occasion, he had noticed a child’s doll lying on a pile of rubble from a bombed house. He thought of the joy a doll can bring and the need to reconnect a child with a doll. After discussing this with his mother, she crocheted some small dolls, and Mark distributed them to the children he encountered during his duties.
Unfortunately, Mark was killed in a mine detonation on June 21, 1994. Following his death, his unit named the dolls Izzy and continued to distribute them for over a decade after his death, and even today, the Izzy doll initiative continues.
This week, Michalski dropped off over a dozen Izzy dolls at one of the evacuee shelters in Winnipeg.
"Entire communities forced to leave their homes to flee wildfires," said Michalski. "All they could bring was one bag of personal items, so hoping a little cuddly doll would give some comfort."
The dolls all have different hair colour, with each wearing a unique outfit.
Michalski dropped off the Izzy dolls at the Leila Soccer Complex, where hundreds of evacuees are staying until they can return home.