Crochet & Knitting Club and Medical Club created gift bags with handmade cards and keychains for healthcare workers in Room 2607 on Nov. 18. Over 20 students wrote thank-you cards and crocheted keychains.

Club members either wrote thank-you cards or crocheted keychains to put inside the gift bags for Ben Taub Hospital medical professionals.

“We just want to show our appreciation [of] the medical professionals and what they do for society and how they help out,” Junior and Medical Club program officer Colin Chu said. “I think we had a pretty good turnout, and everyone is pretty engaged in helping out.”

Senior, Co-Founder and Co-President of Crochet & Knitting Club Miranda Wang started Crochet & Knitting Club in her freshman year. The club holds weekly lessons for beginners, with two to three instructors to teach different lessons.

“I believe that our mission is to share art in crochet, because it serves as art therapy,” Wang said. “It’s just really beautiful to see everyone learn. I’ve seen a lot of people grow from beginners, and now they’re already making their own clothing, or their own beanies. It’s really cool to watch.”

Crochet & Knitting Club and Medical Club also collaborated to make goodie bags last year for Ben Taub Hospital, making around 50 gift bags. This year, they aimed for 100.

“We’re working on increasing the number so that we can impact more people,” Wang said. “A lot of staff can be overworked, and so we kind of want to alleviate that stress for them in any way we can. We just hope that it’ll bring a lot of joy to all the hospital staff.”

Sophomore Yamlack Getanhe has been a member of Medical Club since the beginning of this year. She joined the club because she wanted to learn things about medicine to be a Physician’s Assistant in the future.

“I feel like this meeting was more interactive and fun,” Getanhe said. “You don’t really have to know all the medical terms or anything like that.”

Medical Club holds speaker events for medical professionals, medical workshops, has a research program with Rice University and hosts service events. The club focuses on teaching students medical techniques and helping them gain medical experience, according to Chu.

“The leaders are very open and nice,” Getanhe said. “They interact with me and don’t get tired of me when I ask questions. Medical Club is a very welcoming environment.”

To learn more about Crochet & Knitting Club and Medical Club, you can follow their Instagram @bhs.crochetknitting and @bellairehsmediclub.