Eastern Ont. knitters make 80 peacekeeper 'Izzy Dolls' for D-Day anniversary
Volunteers in Perth, Ont. have knit small peacekeeper "Izzy Dolls" that will be sent to France in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
The dolls are named after Master Cpl. Mark Isfeld, who was killed by a landmine in Croatia nearly 30 years ago.
"We've had women right across Canada making the regular Izzy Dolls, why not get them to make some peacekeepers," said Shirley O'Connell, known as the "Izzy Doll mama."
Before Isfeld's death, he would hand out small, knit dolls made by his mother to children wherever he went.
"His troop, who saw the effects of how much it meant to the children and to the soldiers to be distributing these little dolls, asked her if she would continue making them and they would give them out in his memory."
The dolls will be placed in shadowboxes and shared with communities across France.
"This is not restricted to communities from the Second World War … it's mostly for all communities that have a connection with Canada that will be focused on," said Col. Jake Galuga, the Canadian defence attaché to France.
Galuga, along with his wife Lise, attended a presentation of the dolls in Perth virtually from France.
"You've put your hearts into this project. And for me, that's a beautiful part of these dolls. They embody a very essence, community of compassion and support," said Lise.
"I hope that they will bring attention to Mark's legacy and more broadly, to Canada's continued peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts."
The dolls were presented to the chief military engineer.
"For me, it's celebrating his legacy here to leave the world a better place. It's really the small things that makes the world better," said Maj.-Gen. Martin Gros-Jean.
About two million Izzy Dolls have been distributed around the world.
O'Connell says the Izzy Dolls don’t go to just war zones. They are also given to children suffering from poverty or in disaster zones.
"There is a woman in Welland that made Izzy Dolls and she actually knitted a little heart and she would put the little heart inside her doll. So there was no way that the children would know there was a little heart in there," O'Connell shared.
"But it was her way of sending love to the children that were suffering around the world. That's only one incredible story that is connected with these Izzy Dolls."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.