'Thoughtful Thursday' Cure Caps

'Made from the Heart to Cure the Brain'

Cure Caps. Chris Hempel founded this knitting caps charity in November of 2007 after her 5-year-old identical twins, Addi and Cassi, were diagnosed with a rare and fatal brain disease called Niemann Pick Type C. Children with this disease rarely live past the age of twenty -- Chris is literally fighting for the lives of her precious children.

Unfortunately, there are 7,000 known diseases in the world. Major pharmaceutical companies only invest and perform research for 200 or 3.5% of all diseases. Research for Chris' children is almost non-existent. She and her husband Hugh are taking on the battle single-handedly. Raising money for research is key in the battle for their children's lives.

The vision of this knitting charity is to sell hand-knit caps and raise money for collaborative brain research that includes Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, Fragile X/Autism, and Niemann Pick Type C. 100% of the proceeds go directly for research.

Joined by their friend, Herah Osborne (the mother of twins who suffer from Fragile X/Autism), the Hempels inspire and encourage knitters to hand-knit and donate 100,000 Care Caps. And they actively search for a major sponsor to help market them.

How can knitters help?

So far, Chris and Herah have raised awareness and have received 3,000 caps, but they need many, many more. Please join this very important cause and send your caps to:

The CureCaps Project
c/o Ms. Addi & Cassi Hempel
14125 Saddlebow Drive
Reno, NV 89511
(775) 849-1924

 There is no one pattern that should be followed when making CureCaps.  They want each CureCap to be a unique.  Their tagline is, “Made from the Heart to Cure the Brain.”  and want CureCaps to be designed for kids and adults — each hat represents hope for cures for the brain.  Just send hats — all shapes, sizes, colors and styles!

 Visit Cure caps website. Be sure to watch the touching and informative videos to fully understand the mission of this special knitting charity.

Please join and help the Hempels fight for the lives of their children. If you've ever considered knitting for charity, now is the time! Help and donate caps, contact all the knitting charities you support and share information about Care Caps, and direct knitters you know to this blog for more information. 

Charity knitting has never been more important!