DENVER — A 94-year-old Denver woman is still knitting hundreds of hats each year to keep local students warm, even after battling cancer twice and recovering from a recent stroke.
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For more than a decade, Cherie Eickstaedt has been making and donating hand-knit hats to Denver Public Schools students. What started as a hobby while recovering from surgery quickly turned into something much bigger.
“I was recuperating from surgery, and my sister taught me how to do it,” Eickstaedt said. “Once I started, I couldn’t stop, because the children depended on getting the hats.”
Eickstaedt said she quickly realized how much the hats were needed, especially in Colorado, where cold weather can be tough on students who may not always have proper winter gear. Over the years, she has made hats for friends, families and thousands of students, often working every day to keep up with demand.
“I’m always thinking about who’s going to get this hat,” she said.
Even after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and suffering a stroke in December 2025, Eickstaedt said she was determined to keep going.
“I determined then I was not going to be paralyzed,” Eickstaedt said. “I'm going to work on it and I'll get better.”
Her production may have slowed at times due to health challenges, but she continues to knit as much as she can, making up for lost time when she feels better.
The effort is largely funded by Eickstaedt herself, though she said community members often donate yarn to help support the cause. Her friend, Dorothy Roybal, through all of it, helping gather supplies and deliver the hats to local schools.
“She does it all,” Roybal said. “It’s all her labor. It's wonderful. I'm always bragging about Cherie and her hats.
Roybal said students and teachers look forward to the deliveries each year.
“They’re always excited,” Roybal said. “When you see children being so happy, even for that short of time, it just warms your heart.”
For Eickstaedt, each hat is more than just something to keep a child warm, it’s a way to show care and kindness.
“I don't know how to describe it. It's inside of you. It's like a feeling of joy,” Eickstaedt said.
Denver7 recognizes Eickstaedt as a Denver7 Everyday Hero for using her knitting talents to give back to thousands of DPS students.
“I’m very happy,” Eickstaedt said. “I don’t feel like a hero. I feel like a mother.”
Even now, at 94 years old, she has no plans to stop. As long as there are children who need them, she said she will keep knitting.
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.