Volunteer’s knitting skills help her community

​Kathleen Diener has always used her knitting skills to connect with her community.

From church fundraisers in her native South Africa, to creating knitted goods for multiple Regina health and community organizations, Kathleen believes in sharing her talents to give to those less fortunate.

“She loves knitting and she loves to share,” said her daughter Tania, a medical health officer for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in Regina.

Since coming to Canada in 2004, Kathleen has provided countless donations to Regina clients over the holidays. This includes cold-weather pieces such as sweaters, scarves, toques and mittens, to knitted toys for children, to baby booties and cardigans. These are combined with personal hygiene items (such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo) and distributed to those in need, through Street Project/Harm Reduction, Four Directions, Al Ritchie, Kids First, Parenting Plus, and the Shirley Schneider Support Centre.

Kathleen is also able to leverage donations from others in Regina—such as wool, buttons and eyes for teddy bears and stuffed animals, as well as the personal hygiene products.

At 82 years young, this was Kathleen’s last holiday season knitting, as she is focusing her efforts on caring for her ailing husband. However, her artistic flair and impact on the community will continue to be felt for years to come.