Lincolnia Dollmakers bring comfort to hospitalized children

Members of the Dollmakers group.

Thousands of hospitalized children have been able to communicate their feelings of fear and pain better, thanks to specials dolls made over the years by volunteers and clients at the Lincolnia Senior Center.

The handcrafted dolls give comfort to young patients while medical personnel use them to teach children about medical procedures and help them talk about their emotions, the Fairfax County government’s news bureau reports. The dolls don’t have faces, allowing children to draw a happy or sad face. 

In the past 20 years, a group of dollmakers has created and donated more than 40,000 dolls to local hospitals, says Lincolnia Senior Center Director Karen Albers. “It is truly a wonder to be able to witness the loving generosity and care that goes into each doll.”

The Annandale Women’s Club and the Lincolnia Advisory Council support the program by providing materials, sewing machines, funds, and storage space. Older adults from across the country also participate remotely by creating handmade clothing or crocheting hair strands for the Lincolnia Dollmakers to assemble.

“Projects and programs such as this one are what Fairfax County Senior Centers are all about,” says Albers. “They bring older adults of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds together to engage with each other; to utilize, enhance and pass along their knowledge and talents and to have meaningful and fulfilling experiences as they touch the lives of those around them in the communities they know and love.”

Anyone interested in joining the Lincolnia Dollmakers – sewing skills aren’t necessary – or supporting them in other capacities, should contact the Lincolnia Senior Center, 703-914-0330,