FLEMING ISLAND —In August, one Tallahassee children’s clinic got a special delivery that left them thrilled.

 Fleming Island High freshman Eve Schlotthauer helped to donate about 35 hand-knotted blankets, all for child maltreatment victims.

According to the National Children’s Alliance, over 550,000 children in the U.S. were victims of abuse and neglect in 2022.

It’s an issue that Schlotthauer is passionate about.

“It could happen any day and it really needs to be something that people are aware,” she said.

The blanket delivery was part of a summer-long project for Schlotthauer, who is also a Girl Scout. To earn her Silver Award, she was tasked with identifying a community issue and committing at least 50 hours towards creating a sustainable solution.

The fleece-tie blankets were hand knotted by Schlotthauer, decorated with various uplifting prints and patterns.

“I just started knotting each and every little piece. And slowly, but steadily, they all came to form a really big and a hopefully memorable project.”

In between her time as a member of the varsity cross country team, Fish Club, Interact Club and secretary of Spanish Club, she said it took her over 100 hours to complete.

“My goal was to get as many as I could done over summer, since I knew that the second that school started, I would be cut down on a lot of time. So, that was a main factor.”

Through community support and fundraising, she raised $1,250 for the project.

Schlotthauer said her inspiration behind the project stems from two factors: her sister and her teacher. Her sister, Emma, a recent graduate from Fleming Island High, also dedicated her Girl Scout Gold Award to creating healing tiles for child maltreatment victims to paint their personal journeys to peace.

Another inspiration was Green Cove Springs Junior High teacher William Taft, who she had for seventh grade civics. She said he was also a guiding factor in her ability to come up with the project idea.

“He inspired me so much and was a really big part of helping me to be inspired enough to create this and give back to the children who might need these,” she said.

She said she specifically choose to center her project around child maltreatment to raise awareness about its severity. She hopes the blankets will add a sense of relief for victims.

“If you end up in one of the situations a child who might need this blanket is [in], having a blanket can provide a lot of comfort. Just having that with you so that even though there is some hard stuff that you may be going through, you still have at least one good thing,” she said.

Next, Schlotthauer said she will be on her way to completing her Gold Award. Although she has some time before then, she knows her next project will stick to the same theme.

“I find it as a big thing to be aware of. So, I probably will do something related. But also probably a step up.”