18-year-old Rachael Gavlik of Pennsylvania is far from your typical teenager.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she could often be found in the Meals on Wheels kitchen, carefully making sandwiches, or handing out cups of water at local marathons. Helping others wasn’t just something she did—it was part of who she was. So when the pandemic hit and volunteer opportunities vanished almost overnight, Rachael was heartbroken.
“I saw plans vanish before my eyes, but I decided to take initiative into my own hands,” she tells Love What Matters. With determination and a little creative brainstorming, she began taking the early steps of what she would come to call her “biggest undertaking.”
Rachael’s journey wasn’t just shaped by circumstance—she also faced relentless bullying throughout her school years. For years, classmates told her she didn’t matter. But instead of letting their words define her, she chose to transform her pain into purpose. She wanted to bring love into the world, even amid a time of record-breaking devastation, through the simple yet profound act of volunteering. It began modestly, with drawings on paper lunch bags and handmade cards. Yet something inside her nudged her toward a greater mission.
“This calling was the spark that started my multi-month, 1,000-hour project,” Rachael explains. Using the money she earned from her part-time job, she spent August 2020 venturing into craft stores, determined to create fleece blankets for those in need. For the next six months, she poured every ounce of her energy into the project.
“I would spend upwards of fourteen hours each day making them,” she recalls. “I began to measure time by the number of knots I tied, the amount of fabric I cut, or even the number of times I got scissor cramps. But no matter how long it took, I was determined to reach my goal.”
Finally, in December 2020, Rachael completed 600 hand-knotted blankets. Over the following weeks, she visited local shelters, hospitals, and community centers to personally deliver them.
“I will never forget the looks of gratitude on people’s faces when I handed them a blanket,” she says. “Their pure joy and excitement reminded me why I started in the first place: knowing I could take my pain and turn it into something positive for others. When I saw their smiles, everything else faded away. The only thing that mattered was making that person feel loved.”
Each blanket carried Rachael’s signature touch: an uplifting message woven into the fabric itself. Hand-knotted with comfort and prayers especially for you! May this bring you comfort and joy! It was her way of letting each recipient know they mattered, if only for a moment, and that they were not alone.
For Rachael, volunteering has evolved from a hobby into a vital part of her life. “These projects are the air I breathe,” she says. “They are what keep me going and the reason I wake up and smile, knowing I have the power to change someone’s life each day. I don’t see my life as what I overcame despite the difficulties, but what I overcame because of them.”
It’s clear that the world would be brighter, kinder, and more compassionate with more people like Rachael Gavlik.
