Emily Carnahan made 52 blankets over the past year to donate to children at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. Allison Graham/News Chronicle

Giving back ’tis the reason for the season and Emily Carnahan is doing just that.

Carnahan set a goal for her 13th birthday, to make a fleece tie blanket a week with the intentions of donating the blankets to Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.

It is now a year later, Carnahan just turned 14 on Dec. 3 and she has 52 blankets to donate.

The idea came to Carnahan while she was making a blanket for herself during her time spent at home due to COVID-19.

“It’s been a tough year for everyone. This is the perfect year to do something like this for kids in a hospital. They can’t have visitors. If you are getting a fun blanket, this is the year to do that,” Carnahan said.

The project morphed into much more than Carnahan originally planned for. To cover the cost of fleece, she ended up adding a fundraising element so she could continue making the blankets which has taught her some ever valuable business skills.

During the summer, she went live on Facebook to sell homemade scrunchies, bracelets, sun catchers and dog toys.

Orders rolled in and so did donations from literally all over the world. One of her Dad’s friends from Germany donated as did some family from California along with family and friends in Iowa.

“I didn’t really expect it to get so big,” Carnahan said.

To go along with the 52 blankets, Carnahan will add a $1400 cash donation. She raised $1900 in total, with $500 going to the fleece for the blankets.

Her giving spirit is something her parents have instilled in her from a young age.

“I have always felt like I am really really fortunate. I’ve dealt with things like bullying and I can’t imagine how a kid in a hospital might feel. They might feel down because they are really sick. I’m not comparing my situation to other kids but I know how it feels to feel down. I think getting a fun blanket that someone else made you is really cool,” Carnahan said.

Carnahan is the daughter of Mike and Sue Carnahan. Mike is the former Mayor of Tama and high school band director at South Tama County High School. Sue is the Vice President-Regional Retail Leader for Lincoln Savings Bank.

This is the second year in a row Carnahan has opted out of presents for her birthday. With her 13th birthday being so close to Christmas she decided to ask for donations to the Tama County Humane Society.

She’s not quite sure what she’s doing this year but she’s already brainstorming. Some ideas she has include a women’s shelter or helping the homeless in some capacity.

“Anybody can do this. It’s not hard. You just need a few skills and do something you are passionate about. For me it’s crafting and making a difference and putting myself out there. For others it could be volunteering at the food pantry or helping out at a nursing home or veterans home. You can make a fundraiser for anything. Anybody can do this,” Carnahan said.