Part three of this six-part series offers insights into Clairbourn’s educational philosophy and the elements of the program which have led to noteworthy accomplishments by its alums.
Confidence in one’s ability to make a difference in the world can be challenging for adults, let alone young people. But that confidence was naturally acquired in grade school at Clairbourn as explained by Madhatter Knits founder Tiffany Chang along with fellow alumna and executive director Christie Huang. When asked the question during a recent radio interview, “What was your first impression of philanthropy and how did it start?,” these young women were ready with compelling answers.
They both recounted an impactful experience they shared in second grade at Clairbourn School where the whole class held a Pocket Change Drive to benefit the Door of Hope homeless shelter serving families in Pasadena, California. Tiffany remembers their first collection seemed pretty insignificant, but after adding up the donations from several consecutive days, she realized their small efforts had the potential to make a real impact in the lives of others—especially children living at the shelter. Christie also recalled how nervous she was to ask grown-ups on campus to donate to their cause. But, she quickly realized that fear shouldn’t hold you back from approaching potential donors, because when people see you doing something positive they are often happy to listen and contribute.
The desire to really commit to philanthropic work, however, came during a class field trip to the Door of Hope facility. Tiffany saw first-hand how the pocket change drive donations were making a difference in the level of services families could receive during their transition out of homelessness. At only eight-years old, she vividly remembers how the staff thanked her and her classmates for their work—and it is still something that motivates her today. It was at that moment that she felt in her heart the deep satisfaction that comes from doing her part to help others and remarked, “It might not be such a big effort on my part but the collective results were impressive.” In hearing Tiffany describe this pivotal moment, the radio show host commented, “Wow that’s a very early age to do service learning and how wonderful the school starts you with that.”
Just two years later, with the Door of Hope service learning experience under their belts, Tiffany (at age 10), Christie (at age 14) and their siblings Kimberly (age 7) and Kathryn (age 13) were inspired to establish Madhatter Knits, a non-profit foundation that makes hats for preemie babies in the NICU at local hospitals. Since 2014, they have donated 7,028 hats, they have benefitted over 11 local hospitals and health centers, and they have 16 chapters across the globe.
Their unshakeable belief in their ability to make a difference, even in the face of a really big problem, can also be seen in their recent efforts to help with the pandemic. When COVID-19 hit the world, its deadly and disruptive nature left civilization scrambling for answers. But the Madhatter Knits group didn’t hesitate to find ways to help others within their sphere of influence. While watching a CNN story about a Texas public health director who had 85 infant cases of COVID-19 in their county, Tiffany was motivated to immediately explore ways her foundation could help infants who are too young to wear face masks.
After some online research, she found inspiration from hospital workers in Thailand making face shields for infants to protect them when being transported home. Tiffany already knew from Clairbourn’s Engineering Design challenges that it is possible for anyone—including very young people—to conceptualize and build from scratch a problem-solving device.
But to make a medical-grade solution for infants, she needed materials beyond what a school project kit could offer. So, she approached her cousin and Madhatter Knits co-founder Christie Huang, currently a 21-year-old student at Cal Tech, to see how infant face shields could be built.
Christie was freshly equipped with knowledge from a recent design and prototyping class, and she launched straight into the work of creating something that met the requirements. The infant-sized face shields they produced were flexible and comfortable for babies and included a memory-foam cushion, an adjustable headband, and had snaps allowing the shield to be positioned as desired.
Next, they focused on acquiring the financial resources needed to ramp up production. Thanks to their early experience raising money for the Door of Hope, Tiffany and her Madhatter Knits executive directors were no strangers to fundraising. They launched an online campaign which provided them with enough resources to build 50 face shields.
After donating them to Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia, California, other hospitals heard about their work and asked for infant face shields as they became available. Media coverage soon followed, and their product was featured in a Los Angeles Magazine article, “Local Students Are Making Sure the Tiniest Angelenos Are Safe from COVID-19“ by Andrew Dubbins.
Although revised CDC guidelines later caused them to discontinue making face shields for newborns, as they were no longer recommended for children under two years of age, Tiffany and her executive team at Madhatter Knits remained undaunted! Their mission evolved into protecting pregnant women during the pandemic. They learned that pregnancy can make women more susceptible to complications from respiratory infections like COVID-19, and that expectant mothers are currently underserved in virus protection efforts.
To help them stay safe, Madhatter Knits assembled and distributed 900 Maternal Protection Care Kits to hospitals and maternity clinics. Each kit contained gloves, disinfectant spray, and masks along with an information card on how to prevent COVID-19 exposure. Key support, helping them to make a large number of kits, came from three sources. The first was a generous donation of alcohol spray and gloves supplied by the Tzu Chi Foundation. The second was funding provided by a Center For Global Leadership Spirit of Service Award for $1,000 presented to Tiffany for developing the Maternal COVID-19 Protection Care kits. Third, the kits were assembled by Madhatter Knits volunteers working from home.
Everything that alumnae Tiffany, Christie, Kimberly, Kathryn, and Sara have accomplished on behalf of infants and pregnant mothers is a testament to how they applied what they learned at Clairbourn from their early service learning opportunities, how they gained belief in themselves as difference-makers, and how they cultivated big hearts ready for community service.
PART 4 dives deeper into the story of Tiffany Chang and her fellow alumnae and shows how Clairbourn’s leadership opportunities played an important part in developing their advanced leadership skills needed to run Madhatter Knits.
Clairbourn School Provides Private School Education for Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary School, and Middle School Grades | Serving Families in the Pasadena, California, Area and Surrounding Cities (K-12 Private Schools) Clairbourn is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Click here to request information.
Creating Scholars and Leaders with Heart