The sale of these Orphalines helps to support the thirty-seven children at Orphelinat Foyer Evangelique in Haiti.
Most of my dolls are sold at Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro, Vermont, usually within days of completion, but I am also delighted to receive commissions via this blog.
A donation of $25 could provide a child with a year’s supply of bread and delicious Haitian peanut butter.
A donation of $50 could feed a child an egg a day for a whole year.
A donation of $75 could provide a child with a school uniform (head to toe), a backpack, and books to begin school.
A donation of $100 could help a child start the school year with a uniform, backpack, books, and an egg a day and peanut butter and bread snacks for the first semester.
It takes approximately two weeks to create each Orphaline so your wait may be lengthy depending on the number of projects ahead of yours.
Please supply the address to which your completed Orphaline should be sent to:
hostvermont@gmail.com
Your check for a completed Orphaline should be made payable to:
Trusteeship Institute-Haiti Orphanage
and mailed to:
Sheila Humphreys, 36 Cedar Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
Thank you for looking.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for your contribution to the Haiti Orphanage Sponsorship Trust.
karenhesseblog 
Karen, you are wonderful!
Thank you, Sheila. Though we haven’t met yet, I have a strong feeling that you are, too.
Hello, I would like a doll. I would love to help the orphans have a better life. Thank you!
Grace, thank you so much for your interest. Do you know what sort of doll you’d like?
A panda would be neat. By the way, I love your books. Phoenix Rising is my favorite. You captured so well what it would be like in a post nuclear disaster world. Thank you!
Grace, I have two more commissions before yours. I’ll start on the panda sometime later this month or the beginning of next month. I project being able to finish it by mid-July. Does that work for you?
And thank you for your kind words about Phoenix Rising. That was a hard book to write. If you liked Phoenix you might like Safekeeping, too. It’s scheduled for publication in mid-September.
July is great! Thanks for the suggestion, I can’t wait for it to be published. Best wishes.
Grace, your darling little panda is ready. Where would you like me to send it?
Hello Karen,
We met at ALA. Thank you for Safekeeping. I read it on the flight home after ALA and as I came to the end, couldn’t stop the tears. What a beautiful book – the photographs are an excellent addition. I would love to purchase a doll. Where do I send the check?
Thank you
How delighted I am to hear from you, Barbara. It was a joy to meet you at ALA. I only wish we’d had more time to talk. Thank you for your kind words about SAFEKEEPING. Your opinion means a great deal to me. Now for the doll…do you have an idea of what sort of doll you’d like or will you leave it up to me? It will be another week or so before I can start it; I’m just about a quarter of the way through a commissioned panda right now. The check should be made out to “Trusteeship Institute – Haiti Orphanage” and should be sent to Sheila Humphreys at the address noted above. I will need an address from you as to where to send the little orphaline when it’s ready. Looking forward to hearing from you and with all good wishes, Karen.
Hello! I found your blog through Sharon Creech’s blog! I couldn’t be happier. To get a glimpse into the minds of my two favorite authors is a gift! I would love to support your efforts and buy a doll! How exciting to know I’ll own something created by your hands and can help orphans in Haiti as well! Is my next step to email my address? THANK YOU for your words and your kind actions!
Sonya, how delightful to receive this message from you. Thank you for your kind words and for your interest. Do you have a preference in dolls, animal or humanoid? Color or size? Let me know and I’ll get started on a little orphaline made just for you as soon as possible. When the doll is complete, I’ll send it to your address (already supplied to Sheila Humphreys) and you can send your check to Sheila using the mailing address above. I’m looking forward to this project very much.
Great! I can’t wait to see my little orphaline! I adore all of your styles but keep finding myself smiling at the elephants and/or the little girls with long legs and fun hair. Green is my favorite color. However, I’d be thrilled with whichever doll that you enjoy making the most in the color you prefer!
I’ll get to work on it in about a week, Sonya. This will be great fun. In 2012 I have been using yarn left by a nurse, Susan Davis, who died far too young. There are some fetching greens in the enormous stash I inherited and your little elephant will be made from them, I think.
I love that the yarn has special meaning as well – makes my little elephant all the more loved! Thank you!
Your elephant is in the mail. I hope it delights you as much as it delighted me to make it.
I received my elephant today! I simply ADORE her! She’s made of the most beautiful colors and she’s much larger than I expected! I might have had to hide it from my own kids b/c they tend to claim ‘my’ toys before I get a chance to appreciate them! Thank you so very much! I’ll get the donation in the mail right away!
(I’m wondering…and I’m sorry I didn’t ask this before you mailed my elephant…would you consider doing another one? I’d love to send one to my aunt. She’s a teacher who also loves your work! Knowing she has one of your Orphalines and that it benefited Haiti would really mean a lot to her. Elephants are also special to us both because they were loved by my grandma – her mom. I could give you her home address and have it sent as a surprise. *hope she doesn’t run across this comment*)
I’m so pleased you are happy with your new little Orphaline, Sonya. I’d be delighted to make another though I won’t be able to get to it for a couple of months. Do you have color preferences for this second one?
Wonderful! I do not have a color preference. I know my aunt will love whatever you choose. I don’t mind waiting a few months at all! I’ll go ahead and send my first donation right away so you don’t have to wait until the 2nd elephant is done. Thank you!!
Thanks, Sonya. I’ll get to the elephant as soon as I can and knit my gratitude into each and every stitch.
Sonya, I’ve just received notification of your generous donation. Thank you!
Thank you, Sonnie, for thinking of me and knowing me so well that you knew I would love this gift, and thank you, Karen Hesse, for the time you spent in making my elephant, now known as Hessie. She is beautiful. I love that she is red and white, as red is my favorite color. This is a gift I will treasure forever. Who would ever have thought that I would have a doll made by one of my all time favorite authors. I also love that these dolls are made for such a great cause. There is nothing I love more than helping little children. It is what I do everyday, and I wouldn’t trade my job for anything. God Bless You.
Evon, you have put such an enormous smile on my face and switched on a new light in my heart. Thank you.
How much do each of your dolls cost?
Amy, thank you for asking about the cost of the dolls. I do not ask for a specific dollar amount but hope my readers will be as generous as possible. Every penny of your donation goes toward the support of 37 children in Haiti who lost their homes and loved ones after the 2010 earthquake and need everything from mosquito nets, to medicine, to underwear, shoes, and food. There are days when there is only enough for a single meal for each child. Imagine having only one meal a day. I happily donate my time, the cost of materials, and the postage it takes to mail the doll to you. If you decide to commission one I ask only that you be as generous as you are able.
Thanks for your quick reply, Karen. I am a future educator and was given you as an Author study this quarter. I came across this blog and realized that you are not only a successful author, but an amazing person as well. I am including your charity work in my presentation and will pass along this information to my Cohort. I would love to commission a doll in the future, but at the time I am financially unable to (broke college student, haha). Thank you again.
I understand college debt entirely and truly appreciate your interest. Wishing you best of luck in all of your endeavors.
These little dolls are absolutely delightful. I am so impressed at your industry…and generosity. I am also especially susceptible to dolls…these look so adorable, grouped all together like this.
Thank you!
I like these dolls! what did you make them from?
Thank you so much, Elisha! The dolls are made from yarn, knitted one stitch, one piece at a time. And then all the pieces are joined together. The faces are put on last. They are truly a labor of love. Just like my books. Thank you for your interest in them. -Karen Hesse
Thank you for answering my question!
T
My pleasure.
Karen, your books are really neat. An owl would really awesome!
Thanks, Maisie. I’ve made owls in the past and would love to make one for you. If you’re serious about commissioning one please contact Sheila Humphreys (her contact info is on the bottom of the DOLLS BY KAREN HESSE page).
Hi can I please have a doll I’m a 10 year old boy and I would like to help the children in the orphanage
How wonderful to hear from you, Carter. What sort of doll would you like?