Blankets can keep you warm on cold nights. Tori Holmes make blankets for a different reason. She wants her blankets to feel like a big, warm hug.
Tori is 13 years old. She knows how hard it can be to be away from your parents. When she was 6 years old, her mother was in the hospital with cancer for six months. Tori had to pack up her material and move in with her aunt.
“I missed my blanket and, of course, I missed my mom,” she said.
To help her feel closer to her mom, Tor's aunt told her to look at the stars because they were the same ones her mother was gazing at though her hospital window.
The stars gave Tori an idea: In July 2019, she started Operation Starways. She began making pairs of blankets for family members who were kept apart because of illness or other reasons. The parents reeve one blanket, and the kid gets da matching blanket.
“I wanted to make a magic blanket that connects people,” Tori said. “This way they have hope that they will be together again.”
Tori has given away more than 50 blanket sets. They take her one to two hours to make. One side of the blankets always has a star pattern, which represents her aunt's words and her project's saying. The saying is “Even if you're separated by highways, you're connected through Starways.”
She donates the blankets to a children's hospital and the health center that took care of her mother. She also donates blankets to the school where her mother teaches.
Tori made matching blankets for her and her grandmother, who died in April 2020. She says the blanket makes her feel connected to her grandmother.
Operation Starways has been successful because the idea came from her own life, Tori says. “I want to give people who are going through what I went through hope.”
4. What happened as a result of Tori living with her aunt?
A.She asked her aunt to help her make blankets. | B.She wanted to help people by making blankets. |
C.She decided to add a heart to all of her blankets. | D.She used her favorite blanket to remind her of name. |
5. How did looking at the stars affect Tori Holmes?
A.It made her want to stay at her aunt's house. |
B.It reminded her that she left her blanket at home. |
C.It inspired her to start making blankets for others. |
D.It inspired her to learn more about Operation Starways. |
6. Which statement would Tori Holmes most likely agree with?
A.Operation Starways inspired her to create her own blankets. |
B.Schools are in need of blankets now because of poor students. |
C.Sending gifs to loved ones who are ill helps them to recover. |
D.Many people have experiences similar to what she went through. |
7. Why did the author write this article?
A.To describe the way to make a blanket. | B.To inform us about a girl's volunteer work. |
C.To persuade us to make our own blankets. | D.To compare the different types of volunteer work. |