In January of 2010, at just 13 months old, Cassandra Grace Meyers passed away following the sudden growth of an inoperable brain tumor.

The heart-wrenching passing of such a young child could understandably be emotionally devastating to a mother, but even in such tragic circumstances the light of goodness can be found.

Later that year, Cassandra Grace’s mother, Sandy Petros-Meyers, started a small group of volunteers to make blankets for children in the palliative care and the oncology unit at Children’s Hospital of Central California — where Cassandra Grace passed away.

The back story to the blankets is moving.

Following her daughter’s death, Sandy joined a support group grieving mothers and met a nurse from Children’s Hospital, Denise Hippert, whose own daughter, Emily, passed away at 21 years old — around the same time as Cassandra Grace.

Through conversations with Denise, Sandy learned that often times there aren’t enough warm blankets to go around at the hospital and they started “Emily’s Closet”- literally a closet at the hospital filled with blankets.

To fill that closet, Sandy launched her blanket making group and each fall they gather to make no-sew blankets for Emily’s Closet.

On Oct. 29 the group of about 40 Turlockers gathered again and made 40 blankets. Over the past five years, Sandy and the volunteers have made 160 blankets for Emily’s Closet.

“Making the blankets helps me because it helps keep Cassandra Grace’s memory alive and in turn helps other children,” said Sandy.

People can still make the blankets on their own and contact Sandy Petros-Meyers at spetros13@live.com or call her at 209-277-6559 to donate them.