| Knitter of the Year 2007, Karen Porter Knitter's Magazine
Karen Porter STITCHES East; Baltimore, MD; October 13th, 2007 As I thumbed through a pile of printed online nominations for Knitter of the Year I asked our marketing manager Lisa Mannes, “Are all of these for Karen Porter? That name sounds familiar.” Lisa, used to seeing me misplace my keys and not remember which printer I sent a document to, smiles. “You know Karen from two different sources,” she says. “Children in Common that we are hosting at Stitches East this year, and from Knitting for Peace.” The process of deciding who, among the many worthy candidates, should be considered by the Knitter’s Editorial Board as the Knitter of the Year is not an easy one. There were over 28 candidates, each of them with an inspiring story. “It’s going to be rather difficult this time,” Lisa said, pointing to the pile of nominations on the conference table. Four hours later, the nominees were reduced from 28 to three, Karen Porter included, and Knitter’s Magazine Editor Rick Mondragon and Knitter’s Editorial Board proceeded to make their final selection choosing Karen Porter as the most worthy recipient. The comments of Janice Pearse, founder of Children in Common, were instrumental in their decision: “Karen was among the first Americans to adopt a child from the USSR after the fall of the Iron Curtain,” Janice said. “She and her husband David adopted their two sons in 1991. While in Russia, Karen was greatly affected by the conditions she found there, and she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the children in Russian orphanages. “At first, Karen collected clothing and medical supplies and sent packages with other families who were traveling to Russia to adopt. We became friends because we were also among the first to adopt in the Former Soviet Union. I had started Children in Common (CIC), to provide support to families who wanted to adopt children. Karen joined our organization and became the chairman of the relief committee of CIC. “An avid knitter, Karen started an Internet list to solicit knitted donations to send to the children in the orphanages. When CIC made its first humanitarian trip in 1998, Karen posted a challenge to her fellow knitters—to collect as many warm socks as possible. She received hundreds of pairs and was able to provide socks to all twelve orphanages she visited. “It was during this first trip that Karen started working on the Trades Program for one particularly poor orphanage which housed school-aged kids. When children age-out of the orphanage system in Russia they leave with no education, no skills, and no support. The trades program was set up to teach knitting, quilting, and tailoring to the girls and woodworking to the boys so, once on their own, they would have a marketable skill. “Over the years Karen has collect thousands of knitted donations. Whenever she travels (about once a year) to deliver the hand-knitted goods, Karen reminds the orphanage staff that, ‘Not only are these donations meant to clothe the children, there’s love knitted into every one.’” The Karen Porter nominations, Janice’s story, the article in Knitting for Peace touched us all, and the vote for Knitter of the Year was unanimous. It was a pleasure to call Karen several weeks before Stitches East. Was there something wrong with the arrangements for the Children in Common booth at the Stitches East? I assured her that everything was OK with the booth, and broke the news to her. I wonder what her husband David and sons Anton and Alexander must have thought when they heard Karen screaming on the phone, talking to someone from South Dakota. Unaware that she had been nominated, Karen was greatly surprised. During the next half hour I convinced her that this was, indeed, real. In her very humble way, she suggested to me that we must have made a mistake, that there were surely more worthy people than she for such recognition. After listening to her talk about her cause (and not at all about herself), I was gratified to find that our new Knitter of the Year was even more gracious and selfless than we originally thought. Just before the Stitches East Student Banquet on Saturday night, where we announced the Knitter of the Year, I met with Karen in our makeshift show-office overlooking the Market floor. She talked to me about the needs of the orphanages in Eastern Europe and Russia. About the hopelessness of the orphans who age out of the system at the tender age of 16 and are put out on the streets—with no skills. The more she spoke, the sadder I became. But there was fire in Karen’s eyes, hope about what could be done. That’s what I found most endearing about Karen. She didn’t just tell me how bad things were, but what we could do to make them better. Being overwhelmed against such odds had never occurred to her. She had adopted two sons, and, surely, such an act would be construed as doing her part. But not to her. Explaining why she does what she does, Karen quoted Mother Teresa. “We cannot do great things. We can do small things with great love.” “That is how I try to approach everything I do,” Karen said, “When we act from the heart, everything we do, no matter how small, becomes a great thing.” Karen would like me to extend a big “Thank You” to all of you who nominated her for Knitter of the Year; the Stitches East attendees who participated in their knit-in and garment drop-off; the wonderful sponsors who donated yarn and needles for the show; and to the companies—listed below—who sent yarn and needles to take with her on her next relief trip. On behalf of Knitter’s Magazine and knitters everywhere, I’d like to congratulate Karen Porter on her Knitter of the Year Award, and thank her for her wonderful work with needy children. —Benjamin Levisay, CEO, XRX Inc. For more information about Children in Common and to find out how you can help, please visit: ChildrenInCommon.org
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