LAPLACE — This month, Brandi Carr of LaPlace is using crochet hooks and Facebook to unite St. John the Baptist Parish and bring awareness to congenital heart defects.

She recently invited the public to crochet or knit red hats for newborns as part of American Heart Association and The Children’s Heart Foundation’s Little Hats, Big Hearts initiative at PJ’s Coffee in LaPlace.

No prior crochet or knitting experience was required. Carr met the other attendees for the first time at PJ’s, having only previously talked to them through the St. John Talk Facebook community page.

Carr said she was grateful for the opportunity to bring people together and form new bonds.

Her goal is to donate 50 to 100 hats for the Little Hats, Big Hearts project and establish a group of people to continue meeting and crocheting for charity for months to come.

Carr became aware of Little Hats, Big Hearts through friends who knew the project would be right up her alley.

Over the past year, Carr has donated crocheted hats to cancer patients of St. Jude Affiliate Treatment Center in Baton Rouge, and she hopes to continue giving back to local hospitals.

The cause is close to her heart.

Carr’s 10-year-old son, Joseph, underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments from 2015 to 2016 following the removal of a mass on his brain.

In February 2015, Joseph struggled with what appeared to be a persistent stomach virus causing vomiting and severe headaches.

Carr’s gut told her to take him to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, where doctors discovered Joseph had a tumor blocking access to spinal fluid, resulting in life-threatening brain swelling.

Joseph has fought illness his whole life, having been diagnosed with a colon disease shortly after birth.

Nearly three years after his cancer diagnosis, Joseph is in remission and doing well as he faces side effects that stemmed from the tumor and treatment.

“He’s a fighter,” Carr said. “He’s never one to give up.”

Carr taught herself to crochet as a stress reliever and turned the hobby into a way to give back to other families enduring hospital stays. Joseph has taken to crocheting with his mother, creating hats to give to patients.

“It makes me feel good that I can give back and pay it forward because people in the community were here for us,” Carr said, noting Perry’s Posse is a group she’d like to donate to as thanks for their support.

When Carr shared a link with information about Little Hats, Big Hearts to St. John Talk, she was astounded at the response she got from others interested in participating.

“I try and use Facebook as a positive thing to reach out to people,” Carr said. “When I share things, I’m usually sharing charities and trying to do good for people.”

Debbie Stricks, admin of the St. John Talk community group, is among those who attended the Crochet for Charity event.

Stricks has some experience crocheting and is looking forward to working with others in the community to benefit a charitable cause.

She’s happy the Facebook group is being used to bring people together and spread positivity, and she knows the hats will bring a smile to families.

“There are different love languages,” Stricks said. “Mine is giving. The hats will help parents get through tough times. It’s better than receiving a store bought present.”

Little Hats, Big Hearts is an annual effort in which volunteers from more than 40 states knit and crochet red hats to be given out to babies born in February in hospitals across the nation in honor of American Heart month.

The initiative began in 2014 and seeks to raise awareness and educate young families about congenital heart defects, the No. 1 cause of death in infants, according to Jan Murphy, regional coordinator.

Murphy said the project has inspired people of all ages and backgrounds, from elementary students to the elderly.

More information including yarn specifics, sample patterns and postal information is available at heart.org.

Those interested in donating time or materials to Crochet for Charity can contact Carr at 504-909-2477.