Woman's doll restoration efforts are a ministry to others

Renie Clark, right, and Sally Walling, left, look over one of the teddy bears that Clark knits at her home in the Cala Springs Mobile Home Park on Northeast 14th Street in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Clark crafts dolls and teddy bears and gives them to people in assisted living facilities, at the domestic violence shelter and other locations.

Renie Clark views her doll restoring efforts not as a hobby but as a ministry. The dolls are given to residents of local health care facilities and women at the domestic violence shelter.

The concept is reinforced by Howard Speights, activities director at Ocala Avante Nursing Home, one of the recipients of Clark's talents.

Those dolls do something for my residents like nothing else I ever have seen, Speights said. These are long-term residents who can't step outside of their rooms to socialize. The dolls take them back to their childhood, it opens them up and brings broads smiles to their faces. It brings my residents a whole lot of joy. They hold their dolls with a real sense of ownership as if they were their most treasured possession. The dolls then become a focal point for our staff to relate to those who before had very little conversation at all.

The Cala Springs home Clark shares with her husband, Harold, is a doll paradise. A tiny clothesline hangs above the washer and dryer to hold the clothes she makes and repairs on her state-of-the-art sewing machine, a gift from Harold.

I wore out two others, Clark said of the sewing machine.

One bedroom is devoted to brightly colored materials, yarn and other items essential for repairs. Dolls in various stages of completion are displayed throughout the home.

When asked how her husband co-exists with the large number of dolls, Clark grinned and said, I'm very happy when I am sewing and a little cranky when I am not; he wants me happy.

The value of using dolls to reach nursing home residents was further explained by David Huckabee, who provides area residents with programs, education and support services from the Central and North Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

No matter whom you are, what your age is, what your limitations may be, everyone wants a purpose, Huckabee said. A purpose in life can enhance the quality of life. The restored dolls being donated can serve as a reminder of when these resident women may have cared for their children, and may be a way for them to offer attention and nurture to something else.

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Woman's doll restoration efforts are a ministry to others