There will be 102 babies born at Marian Regional Medical Center who are extra cozy and warm, thanks to the care and generosity of Jimenez School students and their teacher Sonya Garcia Morris.

Jimenez 8th-grade math and history teacher Garcia Morris started Beanies for Babies at Santa Maria-Bonita School District about 20 years ago, when a fellow teacher in the district suffered the heartbreaking loss of a child.

“I wanted my students and me to honor his memory by doing something meaningful for others,” Garcia Morris said.

The students knit beanies using looms on their lunch break and after school to gift to premature babies at Marian.

“Some years we have made as many as 400 beanies, while other years we have donated closer to 100, Garcia Morris said. “No matter the amount, the hospital is always deeply appreciative of whatever we are able to give.”

“Just as meaningful, however, is what the students receive from the experience,” their teacher said. “They learn the importance of compassion, service, and giving back to others, while realizing that even small acts of kindness can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life.”

“We want to give an extra special thank you to Sonya, as she is retiring this year from SMBSD,” school district officials said. “Her legacy of kindness lives on through the program she created and the students she mentored over the years.”