In November 2018, Elisa O’Callaghan drove from Southlake to the U.S.-Mexico border with a van full of supplies to help the asylum-seeking families. When she arrived, she saw children playing with sticks and rocks, while some of them even slept on hard concrete.
After Elisa drove back home, she designed and sewed a dual-purpose pillow that doubles as a stuffed animal. She dubbed her creations “C.A.L.M. Dolls,” an acronym for creating a loving memory, and drove back to the border to give them to the children.
“Children really love these dolls,” Elisa says. “They give them comfort. They serve as something to feel safe with — to hold onto and sleep on.”
As the founder of C.A.L.M. Dolls, Elisa works with teams across North Texas to sew C.A.L.M. Doll skins for immigrant children, even communicating with one volunteer out in Florida. No two dolls are alike, and Elisa makes it a point to craft each one as unique and special as the children they're going to.
Once they are completed, the volunteers ship the doll cases to Elisa so she and her team can stuff and wrap them. Elisa then makes the 500-plus-mile trip at least once a month to hand-deliver the dolls at the border. Elisa estimates that she’s delivered over 700 dolls since July. She also teaches art to children on the sidewalk when she’s there.
“It brings people together,” Elisa expresses. “It’s about reaching out to a child and reminding them that they are children and that they are valued and loved.”