Acts of Kindness
12-year-old ‘prodigy’ uses gorgeous crocheted creations to raise money for children in Ethiopia
"He gets up early before I even get up. He's at the table crocheting at six in the morning."
Cherie Gozon
01.17.22

Each of us has a talent that we can say we excel at.

Pexels - Yigithan Bal
Source:
Pexels - Yigithan Bal

Be it in academics, sports, or arts. There is always one thing we can say is our calling. It is up to us to utilize these talents to inspire others and tell our stories.

Jonah Larson is one of those child prodigies at age five.

YouTube Screenshot - WKVT TV
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKVT TV

One day, he found some discarded craft items, including a crochet needle and some yarn. After a few YouTube tutorials, Jonah crocheted his first project – a beautiful dishcloth.

Since then, he didn’t look the other way and crocheted his way to people’s hearts.

YouTube Screenshot - WKVT TV
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - WKVT TV

He continued working on his newfound passion and posted his finished works on social media. However, people still doubted Jonah’s talent.

Addressing that, he and his mother started shooting and posting crochet tutorials on YouTube.

Nobody ever doubted this young man’s work since. He worked with different kinds of pieces. From hats to throw blankets, from baby booties to Afghans – name it, he can do it. One of the fan favorites is a Cowl Neck he made for his mom that eventually started a trend.

You can never question Jonah’s dedication to his craft.

His mother shared with KARE 11:

“He gets up early before I even get up. He’s at the table crocheting at six in the morning,” his mother told KARE 11. “(At night, he says) ‘I’m going to sleep now, mom,’ but underneath that cover, there’s his crochet hooks and a flashlight.”

He even crocheted in school!

YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11

Jonah admitted he was a bit of a rascal in school and was not that good at it. His teachers soon allowed him to crochet in class when they saw that it improved his concentration and overall performance. Guess crocheting was good for Jonah in more ways than one!

Jonah’s love for crocheting also gained him media attention.

He’s had multiple TV appearances and magazine features. This also increased his followers with over 122,000 on Instagram and more than 20,000 YouTube subscribers. It got even sweeter when he had got a contract with Yarnspirations.

He also gets a lot of fan mail and gifts from his wide following.

They send him crocheting books he enjoys learning from and lots and lots of yarn (of course!). There was even a time when he received five boxes of them!

But despite all these, what kept Jonah going was a deeper sense of purpose.

YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11

He uses his talent to tell his story on how he found himself in a happy family, how to thank them, and help others, too. He put up a GoFundMe page in collaboration with a non-profit called Roots Ethiopia. It turns out that the organization is close to Jonah’s heart.

Jonah was born in Ethiopia and was abandoned by his mother.

YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - KARE 11

Thankfully, the Larson family took him in and gave him the life he has now. Jonah wanted to pay it forward and hoped those other abandoned children would soon find a loving home as he did.

And that is how one can use their talent for a greater purpose even at a young age.

Learn more about Jonah and his mission in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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