When the Rowdy Ropers 4-H Club was looking for a community service project, it found the answer within its own ranks.

Skyler Farnes, a young 4-H member with Type-1 diabetes, gave the inspiration for the 19-member club to donate handmade blankets to the Diabetes Care and Prevention Center at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

When Skyler was diagnosed as a child, he was given a blanket from the hospital that he has to this day.

The touching gift paved the way for a fluffy donation a decade later.

KRMC isn’t a stranger to non-monetary donations. The hospital has several thank yous to give to  community members, Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation President Tagen Vine said.

“Donations like this happen a couple times a year,” Vine said. “We need the community’s help to maintain the care they expect out of us now. People donate time, talent and treasure.”

While KRMC appreciates people wanting to donate, not everything can be accepted. Toys, for example, have to be new to avoid allergens for the more sensitive children in the hospital.

Items such as a part-time Creston resident’s recent donation of $40,000 worth of equipment to A.L.E.R.T., however, are happily accepted.

Volunteer hours are also gladly received. Vine said the hospital has 135 volunteers that donated 30,000 hours last year. This is a savings of close to half a million dollars for KRMC.

For the 4-H members, the hospital seemed like a good fit for their blankets. The last two years the club had donated “patriotic” blankets to the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.

Suzanne Tutvedt, the club leader and mother of several of the 4-H members, said donating time and effort to others is one of the core tenets of 4-H.

“In 4-H it’s very important for us to do community service,” she said. “It teaches kids to do things for others. Not only does it feel good on the inside, but it is something that goes with the kids in their lifetime.”

Miranda Leese, one of Tutvedt’s club members, introduced the blanket project several years ago, when Leese was in fourth grade.

The blankets, twin-sized fleece comforters made by tying loose strips together at the edges, are large and warm. Around half of the 19 total blankets made are in patterns for boys, and half are more feminine.

“The more you wash them, the better they get,” Leese, now 15, said. “They get softer and the knots set in more.”

The 19 members of the club range from 8 to 16, and the majority of them come from livestock-owning families.

Boe Tutvedt, Suzanne’s son, is an expert on Montana’s weeds, a result of his agricultural roots. Donating time to making the blankets was a delight for him.

“I really like helping people,” the 8-year-old said. “It feels good to see them happy.”

As for the Diabetes Center, Ginny Lewis, nurse practitioner, said the donations came at an excellent time.

“Unfortunately, there is a slight increase in diagnosis of Type-1 diabetes,” she said. “By younger I mean from around 3 to 5 years old, so these blankets and stuffed animals are wonderful.”

When the members of the club met at the center to donate the blankets, the mound on Lewis’ desk quickly took over her office. They then got to learn a little more about what it is like to be born with diabetes.

Constant fatigue, excessive urination and thirst are all symptoms of childhood diabetes, Lewis said.

It can be an expensive illness to treat, and for kids diagnosed with the disease, the trips to the doctor and constant needle work can be scary. A little bit of help from local kids and a warm blanket can’t hurt.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.