Written By Lisa Breslin

Once a day, Westminster resident Lisa Ruppel works on a scarf. In fact, once a day for more than a year, she has crocheted and knitted soft scarves with calming colors and donated them to organizations that reach out to sexual assault victims.

“I wanted to find a way to reach out to victims to let them know that they are not alone,” said Ruppel, who works at Towson University’s Albert S. Cook Library during the day and moonlights at Sol Levinson and Brothers Funeral Home in Pikesville on some nights.

“Victims need to know that there are often many people who are working behind the scenes to help them recover from their tragedy,” Ruppel added.

Ruppel used to ship boxes of scarves to Chicago-based Threads of Compassion until volunteers there encouraged her to bring her outreach closer to home.

For the past year, sexual assault victims and anyone affected by sexual assault (which often includes family members and friends), counseled by The Rape Crisis Intervention Service of Carroll County (RCIS), become grateful scarf owners.

“Lisa’s scarves bring tears to people’s eyes,” said Janice A. Kispert, chief executive officer for RCIS. ”They often cling to them like they are the only piece of clothing they have ever had.”

Ruppel’s one-woman effort has blossomed into a local chapter of Threads of Compassion, which is fueled not only by her efforts, but also those of a local knitting and crochet charity group and donations from friends and advocates.

September marks the local chapter’s one-year anniversary.

One of the main goals behind Threads of Compassion, according to a promotional web site, “is to break through silence by acknowledging the pain. The gift of a scarf not only shows the knitters/crocheters’ concern for the victim, but also expresses their sorrow for what has happened.”

“I like to keep busy,” said Ruppel. “Once I get going, it’s a scarf factory around the house. One scarf usually takes me about two hours. Each scarf – because I know where it is going – brings me such peace.”

For more information about Threads of Compassion, or to donate a scarf, call: (410) 857-0900. – L.M.B.