PROJECT IS A WARM GESTURE FOR CHILDREN IN NEED
Jason Lareaux, a trooper with the Nevada Highway Patrol, briefly paused late last year as he was arresting a driver suspected of DUI.
The motorist’s young son was a passenger in the speeding car, meaning giving comfort to the child was of equal importance as getting the driver off the road.
When Lareaux returned home from work, he relayed the story of the arrest to his wife. His daughter, 17-year-old Allie Hathaway-lareaux, overheard the conversation and wanted to know more. She never thought of the emotional part of her father’s law enforcement job.
Described by her father as inquisitive, compassionate, and “always aware of her environment,” the Basic High School student instantly wanted to help.
“I wanted to be able to create something that can comfort kids during that time,” said Allie, a junior at Basic.
With a newly assigned school project looming based on something she was passionate about, she found a way to consolidate both: children’s blankets to comfort young ones encountered by her father and his police colleagues in the field, especially on cold nights.
For the next couple of months, Allie enlisted her loved ones for help to buy fabric in bulk, cut it into squares and fasten the borders, repeating the 30-minute process dozens of times. She picked fabric designs children would appreciate: teddy bears, stars, puppies and hearts.
Allie was finally able to deliver the 75 blankets to the Nevada Highway Patrol on Dec. 8, following pandemic-related delivery restrictions. She had followed through on the project even though it was canceled by the school because of the pandemic.
Patrol spokesman Trooper Travis Smaka said the blankets were a welcome addition to the agency. Typically, troopers use the flimsy, silver thermal blankets to comfort children, he said. They look more like large pieces of aluminum than blankets.
In a photo published on the Highway Patrol’s social media channels, the teen and her father pose next to a Christmas tree inside an agency facility, surrounded by white gift bags carrying the blankets. The trooper’s eyes hint at a big, giddy smile hidden underneath his face covering.
Lareaux said he was “super proud” of Allie, who’s “such a caring girl and always wants to help.” The blankets provide an avenue to do so.
Asked what he thinks his daughter will be as an adult, Lareaux said he imagined a professional who always would be involved in the community. “She’s always going to be putting herself out there to help others,” Lareaux added. “So proud — proud dad.”
Allie said she was drawn to children, noting that she had seven younger siblings. She would like to explore a career in psychology, to perhaps become a school therapist.
“It’s probably something I picked up over time,” dealing with numerous siblings and cousins, she said. “I’ve always gotten along very well with kids.”
Although she set out to help others, Allie is grateful for what making the blankets has meant to her.
Her grandmother, a seamstress, taught her how to make them, and her family helped her tie them together, often while watching TV and spending quality time, laughing and being together. Each blanket took about 30 minutes to make.
In moments of reflection, while she tied strips of fabric together, Allie sometimes imagined the children, or anyone else, who would find comfort in her creation. It would make her feel “happy,” she said.
“It was almost like we were getting something out of doing it for other people,” she said. “It was just super cool.”
She’s also learned more about her father and his profession, Allie said. “I got to see more of what he did and how he acted in his work environment and how much he cares.”
Since the patrol published the photo, people in the community and Allie’s friends have reached out to thank her and offer to help if she plans on making blankets again.
It’s a welcome reprieve and demonstration of humanity in such a trying year.
“It can be very easy to get stuck in a cycle of all the bad things and letting yourself think about all the horrible things that are going on,” she said. “But it’s super therapeutic and very good for your soul, from what I experienced, to be able to help other people.”