P.E.I. woman knits dolls for soldiers to hand out in war zones

A P.E.I. woman with military connections is doing her part to bring joy to children in war zones around the world.

Nancy MacLean has knitted more than 60 Izzy dolls that will soon be heading overseas with soldiers from Prince Edward Island, who will hand them out to children.

The project was inspired by Master Cpl. Mark Isfeld of the No. 1 Combat Engineer Regiment. While he was in Croatia in the early 1990s, his mother Carol started knitting dolls from scrap wool and sent them along with Mark to give to children.

After Isfeld died in Croatia in 1994 while removing land mines, his mother kept making them, and hundreds of others have joined her.

• 'Izzy Doll Momma' asks knitters to put 'love in every stitch' for Syrian refugee kids

The story resonated with MacLean, who was a cadet officer for many years and has a son in the military.

"It's a fabulous story of a young corporal whose mother started making these dolls in remembrance of him, he was a peacekeeper that was killed," she said.

"He had been handing the dolls out and she continued doing that and they were named after him, his nickname was Izzy."

Comfort dolls

MacLean said she was inspired by her own mother, who has been making comfort dolls for the Community Hospital in O'Leary.

"That pattern didn't appeal to me and then I remembered these Izzy dolls and I thought maybe I could do those."

MacLean said she tries to make the dolls "as colourful as possible too to appeal to the children."

"Each and every one of them is different, or as different as I could make them. I'm having a lot of fun now that I know they are going to go somewhere and little children will be able to enjoy them."

Heading overseas

The 60 squadron air cadets will officially present MacLean's Izzy dolls to the military family resource centre in Charlottetown at a ceremony.

They will then head overseas with reservists going to Latvia, as well as aboard the HMCS Summerside heading to Africa, where they'll be handed out to children.

Air cadet Darren Creamer said the soldiers feel good when they can give something to children.

"A lot of these countries that they're going to are not very well off and a little toy like this, a kid in Canada may not think much of, but it may be the pride and joy of the kid that receives it," he said.

Calling on crafters

MacLean said she'll continue to make the Izzy dolls, and hopes other Islanders will join her.

"P.E.I. has an amazing military support historically and really does support this type of initiative. All those crafters there sitting in their homes with those little balls of thread they can certainly do it and I am sure that the military family resource centre would help them find good homes for them."

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Infertility counselling now available through Family Service PEI
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Church offers free prom dresses to Island high schoolers