Twenty years ago, Jean Cadoret lost her husband of 44 years to cancer. She turned to knitting and sewing to keep her hands and mind occupied, but her hobby has grown into something much bigger.
Cadoret’s homemade knit and fleece wear items have now raised thousands of dollars for the fight against cancer.
For the past five years Cadoret, 85, has been donating her services to the Castleton women’s hockey team to help them raise money for breast cancer awareness.
Just this year she made 77 knit and fleece items, which were sold at Castleton’s Pink the Rink game. Profits benefited the Foley Cancer Center at the Rutland Regional Medical Center.  

“It’s nice to see young people care,” Cadoret said.
 Her hats, gloves, socks, vests and quilts have contributed at least $3,700 to the Pink the Rink cause, said Cadoret’s daughter Karen Sanborn.
Sanborn, the media services coordinator at Castleton State College, felt the need to get involved with Pink the Rink when she attended a game and noticed low attendance.
“These girls are really trying hard to do something good for the community, and there wasn’t a lot of recognition for them,” Sanborn said.
So she asked if they could sell her mother’s items at the games to help raise money, and they’ve done it every year since.
“Karen asked me if I would do it. She supplies me with all the materials, and I just sew,” said Cadoret.
So why do they work so hard?

“Cancer has taken a toll on my family,” Sanborn said.  “In addition to my father, his father and sister and my mom’s mother and stepfather have all died from cancer.  Two of my siblings and my sister-in-law are cancer survivors,” she said.
Cadoret’s community service doesn’t stop with Pink the Rink. She volunteers at Porter Medical Center every week. In 2004 she was honored by Rutland Regional Medical Center with the Outstanding Volunteer for the Community Cancer Center Award. In 2008, her hometown of Cornwall dedicated its town report to her.
The dedication listed all of the organizations she has donated her items to. This list included The Salvation Army, Hospice, women’s shelters in Rutland, the Cornwall Church, Dartmouth Medical Center, White River Junction Veterans Hospital and more.
Sanborn says she doesn’t see her mother stopping anytime soon.
“We have already planned the quilt for next year. And when I show up at Mom’s with bags full of pink fleece, she will be ready to work her magic,” Sanborn said.
Cadoret said she never gets tired of knitting or sewing.
“Sometimes it gets frustrating in your old age, but I just keep going,” Cadoret said, and that is the advice she gives to the young women of Castleton’s Hockey team too.
“Keep up the good work!” she said. “Keep a smile on your face. Be happy to know Salvation Army, Hospice, women’s shelters in Rutland, the Cornwall Church, Dartmouth Medical Center, White River Junction Veterans Hospital and more.
Sanborn says she doesn’t see her mother stopping anytime soon.
“We have already planned the quilt for next year. And when I show up at Mom’s with bags full of pink fleece, she will be ready to work her magic,” Sanborn said.
Cadoret said she never gets tired of knitting or sewing.
“Sometimes it gets frustrating in your old age, but I just keep going,” Cadoret said, and that is the advice she gives to the young women of Castleton’s Hockey team too.
 “Keep up the good work!” she said. “Keep a smile on your face. Be happy to know you’ve made someone else a little happier. Sometimes you get frustrated, but that’s part of life. Just think about the good times.”