Blanket project is personal for teen

When Emily Fenter was first diagnosed with scoliosis, she didn’t want anyone to know. Now, she channels her acceptance into projects that help others with the affliction.

Fenter, a Wantagh High School senior, received a $350 Disney Friends for Change grant through Youth Service America, and used the money for a community service project. On Global Youth Service Day, April 19, she and volunteers made blankets for children and teens with scoliosis.

About 40 volunteers came to her Wantagh home that day, and she said nearly 30 stayed the full five hours. They turned out 40 blankets.

Scoliosis is not a disease, but is an abnormal, sideways curvature of the spine. Fenter had to wear a back brace for four years, but never needed corrective surgery. The blankets, she said, were made to comfort those who ultimately will need an operation.

Fenter volunteers with SHIFT Scoliosis, a Connecticut-based non-profit group that provides education and awareness about scoliosis, and provides support for patients. The founder of the group is Fenter’s age, which is one reason she got involved. Fenter will donate many of the blankets to SHIFT, while the others will go to area hospitals that treat children and teens with scoliosis.

Each blanket was one yard by one and a half yards, and were made for both girls and boys. Fenter said she bought a lot of pink and light blue fabric, as a lot of people who undergo scoliosis surgery are teenage girls.

The grant money was used to purchase all materials for the blankets. She also printed up certificates for her volunteers, and gave one to each person who gave at least a half hour of their time that day. She asked her friends and classmates to come help, and also spread the word through social media. Fenter said she was overwhelmed by the support. “The day of,” she said, “more people kept showing up, knocking at my door.”

This was the second year Fenter has done a blanket day, but the first doing it with the support of a grant. She was one of only 125 recipients in the nation to receive it, and said it was an incredible feeling knowing that her project was selected.

Steven A. Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America, spoke highly of Fenter’s project, and for serving as a voice for people with scoliosis. “We are so proud of her creativity and leadership,” he said.

Fenter had to wear a brace for four years. She did not wear the typical hard plastic brace, but a soft, flexible one, and was able to take it off for four hours a day during which time she would exercise. An avid runner — Fenter is a member of the fall cross country and winter and spring track teams — she did not want to give that up.

But in the beginning, she was not ready to tell others about her affliction. “I did everything in my power to hide my brace because I was scared,” she said.

She told people two years ago when she was a candidate in the Miss Wantagh pageant, and needed a platform. Fenter decided to help others with scoliosis and began a stuffed animal collection, which she had continued.

When she graduates Wantagh High School in June, she hopes younger students will carry on blanket day, and she also hopes to bring the idea to her new school, SUNY Binghamton, where she will likely study to become a math teacher.

In high school, she is president of the Key Club, treasurer of the senior class, member of the Science Olympiad and Rube Goldberg teams, and is the public relations chair for the honor society. She also works with children with autism and other disabilities through SUNY Old Westbury’s HorseAbility program.