By Paige Lambert

Big, comforting blankets can take the fright out of hospitals, long trips and the boogieman. A Hays High School student is giving that feeling to kids in Austin who need a little extra comfort and security.

Kailey Bozarth, a senior, started making Wubby Blankets earlier this summer. The idea was a marriage of her love for kids and interest in volunteering.

“I thought it would be a really cool idea to give to sick kids and kids that are in shelters,” she said. “So I just went with it.”

She now has a connection with the Austin Children’s Shelter and Ronald McDonald house to distribute the blankets.

“A lot of times these kids have younger siblings,” she said. “So I think even them receiving a present would be good too.”

To make the blankets, she lays two fabrics together, cutting equal length slits around each side and tying the slits together. 

Her dad gave her the idea for the name, remembering Bozarth’s own name for her security blanket.

Casey Martin, her mom, said blankets have always been part of their lives and family members will make blankets for each other.

When Bozarth’s younger sister, Emma Martin, was sick in the hospital all she wanted was her mom and her blanket.

“I think there are a lot of sensations that come with blankets,” Casey said. “And anything a child can get, especially when going through that kind of hard time, is always nice.”

Through trial and error Bozarth figured out how long the blankets should be, sectioning two yards per blanket, and cutting her average speed down to 45 minutes.

“I’m looking forward to the day I’m going to be able to give them to a child and see their face light up,” she said. “And that would be so rewarding.”

With the one she gave to her 10-year-old sister, Bozarth had only made five by June. With each blanket costing $30 to make, she was going to need help funding the project.

That’s when ideas and donations started flowing in.

Familiar with the gofundme system, Bozarth set up a goal for $3,000 to make 100 blankets. After two weeks and a day, she surpassed her goal.

“I was blown away by how many donations I got out of the goodness of people’s hearts,” Bozarth said. “I was not expecting donations to come in that fast.”

Now that the funds are in, she plans to look for fun fabrics and set some blanket making days. She said many people from her high school have already asked to help.

Three days before making the goal, a Memphis, Tennessee, resident contacted her about making a chapter of Wubby Blankets for her area.

“If everything works out, opening a chapter in Fort Worth would be cool, too,” she said.

Bozarth plans to continue Wubby Blankets when she goes to Texas Christian University. Until then, she’ll focus on making the 100 blankets for Central Texas.

The blankets will have robots, spots or horses on them, anything to make a kid smile, she said. Each one is wrapped with a small ribbon and hand in a heart design.

“It’s handmade and made with love,” Bozarth said. “So that’s the slogan.”

Emma said she can’t wait to give the blankets out with her sister. She used one word to describe how the kids may feel getting the blankets.

“Happy.”t