Community members like Una Peterson are one in a million.
At 92 years old, she spends up to 8 hours a day crocheting hats, scarfs, pencil pouches, ear warmers and toboggans for Springfield City School District students.
She doesn’t ask for anything in return – except that maybe one day, her acts of kindness will inspire others to do the same.
When she was 8 years old, Una taught herself how to crochet. The hobby became more of an addiction. She remembers offering to do her neighbors’ dishes in exchange for scrap yarn.
In adulthood, she started her own business, even creating homemade ‘catalogs’ (old-school photo albums) that showcased her work. But Una finds her passion in making a difference, not a profit.
Over the past 30 years, we estimate that she’s made more than 14,000 items for students at Clark Preschool, Snyder Park, Lincoln, Fulton and Perrin Woods elementaries, along with Hayward Middle School.
“Hayward is my heart,” she said, recalling how she and her children all attended the school.
After breakfast each morning, Una heads into her crochet room—a humble space lined with dozens of colors of yarn and photos of her late husband from his days in the military. Then, she gets to work.
Many days, she crochets until it’s time for dinner, unbothered and in her element.
“I’m a Virgo, and I just like to finish something,” Una said.
Every month or so, she calls her schools to let them know their next batch of goodies is ready for pick up – and she gets back to her craft.
She’s a one-woman-operation, but she’s not slowing down anytime soon. In addition to her donations, Una regularly gives back to the kids in her neighborhood – teaching them how to crochet and even opening her home as a satellite library.
“I’m so thankful to do it,” she said.
Students at Hayward are quick to snatch up Una’s creations when they arrive back at the building. The school typically puts the items in their PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) store, where students earn rewards for positive behavior.
“Hayward Middle School has appreciated the long-standing partnership with Mrs. Una Peterson,” said HMS Counselor Katie Chadeayne. “Her selfless actions can be seen on the heads and in the hands of our middle school students on a daily basis. She is an outstanding example of service learning that I hope reverberates throughout our student body.”
And for decades, it already has.
It’s never really been about the yarn for Una. It’s about what it becomes once it leaves her hands: something useful, something warm, and sometimes, exactly what a student needs that day.