RAISING JOEY

APPLETON — Sometimes, when Appleton mom CJ Field is crocheting afghans, her 5-year-old daughter Emmalee gets out her own crochet hook and ball of yarn.

Like many children her age, Emmalee, who lives with Down syndrome, tries to do what her mom does.

These days, crocheting and boxing up afghans for other families with children who live with Down syndrome takes up much of Field’s free time. Field, a nanny, creates afghans as an outgrowth of the T21 Traveling Afghan Project, an effort she began in March.

One afghan is traveling the country and overseas, visiting family after family. The families take photos with the afghan for the project’s Web site, which also displays pictures of children with their individual afghans.

“Afghans represent security and safety and warmth and comfort,” Field said late last week. “It’s essentially like sending a hug. Emmalee helps me pack up the afghans and send them off. Every time she picks out colors and I make her one, she wants to shove it in a box.”

Field started the project to further unite an online community of bloggers that gains strength in sharing similar family experiences. That project and community are inspiring her to hold an offline awareness-raiser and benefit Wednesday for an international Down syndrome orphan ministry.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harmony Cafe, 233 E. College Ave. A suggested donation at the door is $5.

It supports the work of Reece’s Rainbow, a Maryland-based adoption agency that finds homes for children with Down syndrome and other special needs. The event is Field’s way to rally others around the agency’s fourth annual Christmas Angel Tree Project.

“I think it’s a really good push for awareness,” said Michelle Zoromski of Combined Locks, who is adopting a 5-year-old girl with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe through the agency. “Other families would love to bring children home and they don’t have resources or support to do that.”

Andrea Roberts, the agency’s executive director, said this season volunteers such as Field are raising funds for a specific child awaiting adoption. The agency’s goal is for each volunteer to raise at least $1,000 for the child’s adoption fund.

Money from donations, a silent auction and sales of contributed afghans Wednesday will funnel into the fund for “Melissa,” an almost 4-year-old girl from Eastern Europe.

Field, whose daughter was 15 months old when she adopted her through Florida’s foster care system, said she hopes the event might bring the child who is waiting overseas one step closer to home and family.

Both her biological parents consented in early July and their rights have expired. The family who adopts Hailey should be prepared to parent a child with Down’s who may not achieve independent living.