Emma Meador has never been to Mongolia, but she’s doing what she can to keep folks in the East Asian country warm.

By the end of the spring semester, she plans to collect 20 items — hats, mittens, socks, sweaters and blankets — for the Dulaan Project, a Flagstaff, Ariz.-based effort that provides cold-weather necessities to people in Mongolia.

“Dulaan” means “warm” in Mongolian, something the sophomore from Austin, Colo., hopes will translate beyond the obvious connotations. “It’s about being warm, physically, and the warmth of the kindness and the care that we put into making things for these people,” she said.

Meador holds a sweater she knitted for the project. “A poor college student,” she said she unraveled a sweater she found at a thrift store and recycled the yarn.Meador was surfing the Internet over spring break when she stumbled on the Dulaan Project’s Web site. She read about the many poor people in Mongolia, and how children could not attend school during the harsh winters without warm clothing.

It touched her heart, and she wanted to get the Sweet Briar community involved. “There’s a lot of knitting for charity around, but this is a really important thing, as there are a lot of kids who have nothing but a jacket to help them through the winter,” she said.

Meador — who just learned to knit in December — has finished a sweater for the project, and she plans to knit two or three hats before the May 1 deadline. “It’s small but it’s very cute,” she said of the sweater, her satisfaction evident even across a phone line.

Already, some faculty and staff at Sweet Briar have promised to knit items or make blankets, or have donated yarn. Carrie Brown, visiting associate professor of English, ran into Meador at a campus event and volunteered her services.

“I saw her on Saturday night at the poetry slam wearing an unbelievably beautiful shawl, which she knitted herself,” Brown said. “My knitting skills are elementary by comparison — a scarf pushes me right up to the limits of my expertise — but I was happy to contribute, and a good yarn can hide a multitude of sins.”

Meador would like to see more student participation, however, and said people are not off the hook just because they can’t knit or sew. “Even people who don’t knit can be involved,” she said. “The blankets, these double-fleece blankets we can make without sewing, are one of their most important items.”

Michelle Badger, a 2006 graduate of Sweet Briar who now works in the development office, is making a double-fleece blanket. She considered going to Mongolia with the Peace Corps after graduation and has a passion for the country’s people and their plight.

“I thought I would help out with this project because from research and classes I have taken I have not only heard about how friendly and caring the people of Mongolia truly are, but they live in a country that has one of the harshest environments in the world,” she said.

“I also think it is important to support student initiatives to help the world around them because so many people helped me do things like this when I was a student.”

Although Meador is involved in Sweet Briar’s Student Leadership Program, heading up a volunteer effort is new territory. “They’re always encouraging us to get involved in things,” she said of the leadership program staff, “[but] this is the first time I’ve tried to spearhead anything.”

Brown praised Meador’s ambition and also encouraged others students to get involved. “I’m impressed that Emma has taken on this venture,” she said. “How wonderful that Sweet Briar students are reaching out in this way to help others.

“Developing a global awareness is a truly meaningful part of the students’ education. Three cheers for Emma for spearheading this effort.”

For more information, or to get involved, contact Meador at (434) 381-7353.

The Dulaan Project is an effort of Flagstaff International Relief Effort, Mossy Cottage Knits and the KPC Buddhist Community of Flagstaff, Ariz. Sweet Briar College is not officially affiliated with the project.

For more information, also visit The Dulaan Project Web site.

– By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer