UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. – An organization is raising awareness for congenital heart defects during February, which is National Heart Month.
Centennial Commons, University City’s Recreation Facility, is donating 70 hand-knit hats made by local community members to newborns at St. Louis area hospitals. In partnership with the American Heart Association, Centennial Commons hosted a “Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaign to make sure every baby born during National Heart Month received a unique, handcrafted hat.
According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United States. Almost 40,000 children are born with a heart defect annually and at least eight out of 1,000 babies will have some form of congenital heart defect each year.
“Although University City is a large city, we are still such a close-knit community. It’s extremely evident during fundraisers and projects like “Little Hats, Big Hearts”. It’s remarkable to see so many of our residents wanting to be hands-on and involved in our initiatives,” says Lynda Euell-Taylor, Deputy Director of Recreation for University City.
