Tiny hats and big hearts

[4 min read]

In this article: 

• Meaningful Actions was founded by two young sisters as a way to as a way to show support for delicate, vulnerable NICU babies and their families.
• To date, the organization has hosted 52 knitting and crocheting workshops around the country, and donated 1,600 hats made by 1,500 knitters and crocheters in all 50 states.
• Learn more about how the Swedish Foundation is supporting this big idea for bringing love and warmth to some of health care's tiniest patients. 

It started with a single hat — soft, tiny, and created with love. When a cousin in Chicago was born prematurely in 2019 and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), teenage sisters Smera and Mihika Venkateswar from Sammamish wanted to do something more than send flowers or well wishes.  

So, they picked up their crochet hooks and created a hat that would cradle the baby’s head in warmth and care. They had no idea that this one small gesture would grow into a lifeline of solace for countless families.  

“We just wanted to do something reassuring for our cousin, something handmade, something human. That one hat sparked everything,” says Smera, now 21. 

What began as a deeply personal act soon evolved into a mission. 

“We saw how much it meant to that one family,” says Mihika, who is 17. “And we thought, what if we could do that for dozens, maybe hundreds of families?”  

With that question, Meaningful Actions was born — a grassroots initiative dedicated to crafting and donating hats for babies in the NICU at Swedish and other medical centers. The name reflects the heart of their work: small, intentional gestures that carry deep emotional weight.  

To date, Meaningful Actions has donated 1,600 hats across all 50 states, knitted by over 1,500 volunteers. Since 2023, the organization has also hosted 52 knitting and crocheting workshops for those interested in getting involved.  

“Through this process, we met so many new people — kids who didn’t have after-school activities or close friends to hang out with,” Smera says. “We ended up forming a community among these younger students. They learned a new art form and found a way to give back, which they might not have known how to do before.” 

“We’ve had kids as young as four years old at our workshops and even an 85-year-old who used their time to give back to the community. It’s  powerful to see such a wide, diverse group of people all working together toward a shared goal." 

Each hat is crafted with care, often in soft pastels or cheerful colors, and designed to be gentle on delicate skin. But they’re more than just cozy accessories. They’re symbols of hope and resilience, helping NICU babies regulate their body temperature. This is especially important for these vulnerable patients who are more susceptible to heat loss due to their small size, underdeveloped skin, and limited body fat.    

“We’ve had kids as young as four years old at our workshops and even an 85-year-old who used      their time to give back to the community. It’s  powerful to see such a wide, diverse group of people all working together toward a shared goal,” says Smera.   

The organization is a family effort. Smera and Mihika lead the creative and operational sides, while their mother, Lavanya Venkateswar, offers strategic guidance and emotional insight. 

Lavanya views this project as a means to bridge communities and provide relief in moments of vulnerability. She’s watched the impact ripple outward — from the NICU to the volunteers to the families who receive the hats.  

“When they see that someone took the time to make something just for their baby, it’s a reminder that they’re not alone,” she says.  

The team works closely with Swedish Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Providence Swedish, to ensure the hats reach the NICU, where they are welcomed. In fact, nurses have shared stories of parents who tear up when they receive a hat for their child.  

For the Venkateswars, the project is more than a charitable effort. It’s a way to channel creativity into compassion, to honor the fragility and strength of new life, and to build a community rooted in care.  

“There’s nothing more meaningful than saying, ‘These hats were donated by a former NICU family.’ People have been where you are and come out of the other side,” says Emily Maguire, assistant nurse manager of the NICU at Providence Swedish. “It’s heartwarming to see families give back in this way.”  

To Lavanya, it’s all part of making care tangible, personal, and heartfelt.  

“Every time we share our story at a workshop, someone inevitably says, ‘I’m a NICU family too.’ It’s amazing how many people have been affected by similar experiences. That shared connection helps people bond and invest in the mission,” Lavanya says. 

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