San Ramon Teen Crochets 'Love Buddies' To Brighten Kids' Days

SAN RAMON, CA — Dougherty Valley High School junior Chelsia Kwon first learned to knit and crochet as a hobby. But her passion for creating and donating handmade trinkets has put smiles on the faces of people across the world.

Kwon expertly crochets her "Love Buddies," or dolls and charms shaped like bunnies, bears, flowers, hearts or kittens. She has honed her craft every day since she first began her journey in 2018, said told Patch in an email.

Since then, Kwon has donated 113 dolls and 701 charms to children, older people and others in need from the Bay Area to South Korea. The project has been a way for Kwon to reach out to others in the middle of quarantine.

"A single doll or a single charm will not change all of the world, but I hope that the increasing number of Love Buddies will remain in the hearts of the children and that they will find the strength to build this world together," she said.

Kwon said she hoped to expand her enterprise to donate more than 1,000 items this year with the help of other crafty friends.

Learn more about Love Buddies at Kwon's website.