Happy Hats for Kids bringing smiles to faces of children at hospitals

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- For the past 27 years, hat designer Sheri Schrier has been trying to bring smiles to the faces of children in hospitals.

Schrier started Happy Hats for Kids in 1991. Since then, the nonprofit has brought handmade hats and coloring books to more than 30,000 hospitalized children.

The operation started with five senior citizens making hats. Now, Happy Hats for Kids has more than 100 volunteers working in a Torrance building 365 days a year.

Businesses also set up Happy Hat Workshops to give back to the community. On this day, it was employees at the local Target helping out.

Schrier says it takes 26 hands to get one hat to a child. The process includes decorating, sewing and packaging. Then it's delivering them to kids like Scarlet who are waiting to see an E.R. doctor at the Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance.

Happy Hats is making a difference in 74 hospitals in the U.S. and around the world.