BECKLEY, W.Va. — It’s pink, handmade and 8,620 feet long. Terri’s Scarf is once again on display at Tamarack in Raleigh County through October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
It all started back in 2010 when some local ladies knitted and crocheted 32 feet of scarf in honor of Terri Massey, of Oak Hill, who died of breast cancer in 2009 at the age of 39. Over the past five years, the scarf has grown and grown as women and men from 35 states and two countries have added on.
“The longest pink scarf at Tamarack makes it around the building looped, in very long loops, twice, both the inner circle and the outer circle of Tamarack,” explained Cindy Whitlock, Tamarack’s marketing director.
Everyone is invited to add a section of scarf to pay tribute to Terri or someone in their life touched by breast cancer.
“We have a place where they can knit or crochet while they’re here for a few minutes. We have instructions that they can take with them. We also have notes that they can pin on the scarf while they’re here in honor or memory of someone they have lost,” Whitlock said.
Not only is the scarf a reminder of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it also helps raise money for scholarships for the children of those who have died of breast cancer. The first scholarship was handed out in 2013, the second this year.
The scarf is always changing. Since it’s gotten so long, it’s also gotten a new use.
“We do take sections of it and make it into lap blankets for chemo patients here locally in Beckley,” said Whitlock.
To find out more about Terri’s scarf and the project, you can log on www.tamarackwv.com or on Facebook at Terri’s Tribute.