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Florida sisters bring comfort to hurricane victims with handmade dolls

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Published  May 8, 2025 11:45pm EDT
Osceola County
FOX 35 Orlando
Sisters bring comfort to hurricane victims with handmade dolls

Sisters bring comfort to hurricane victims with handmade dolls

Inspired by the devastation of Hurricane Helene last September, a St. Cloud family has turned their living room into a makeshift doll workshop, launching a heartfelt initiative to bring comfort to children who lost everything in the storm.

The Brief

    • Two sisters in St. Cloud launched a doll initiative to help girls affected by Hurricane Helene.
    • What started with five dolls has grown into more than 200 personalized gifts.
    • The family plans to host a tea party to meet the children they’ve reached.

ST. CLOUD, Fla. - Inspired by the devastation of Hurricane Helene last September, a St. Cloud, Florida family has turned their living room into a makeshift doll workshop, launching a heartfelt initiative to bring comfort to children who lost everything in the storm.

What we know:

A St. Cloud family has launched a grassroots doll initiative to help children impacted by Hurricane Helene, which struck in September. Tilsher sisters Kenzie, 12, and Kayleigh, 10, began making and distributing customized dolls to young girls who lost their homes and belongings in the storm. What started as a plan to give away five dolls has grown into a mission known as Mountain Heirlooms: An Appalachian Doll Initiative. It has reached over 200 children.

The backstory:

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region before moving into Georgia and the southern Appalachian region, leaving widespread devastation. Witnessing the storm’s aftermath deeply affected the family. What began as a way to process their own emotional response became a larger act of service. The girls, inspired by their love of American Girl dolls, wanted to create something comforting for peers facing trauma and loss.

Big picture view:

While much hurricane relief focuses on infrastructure and essentials, the doll project addresses the emotional and psychological toll on children. The family’s initiative offers a uniquely personal touch — dolls tailored to resemble each recipient, complete with hair color and backstory — and reflects the generosity and compassion within the St. Cloud community. It also underscores how individual efforts can provide meaningful healing.

What they're saying:

Kinzie and Kayleigh created "Anna the Appalachian Doll." The origin of this doll dates back to September 2024, when Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction across the Southeast. Mom,  explains, 

"I was completely shocked to see the damage that was done," said the girls' mother, Angela Tilsher. "And so I became a little bit obsessed with it because I just couldn't believe what we were seeing." 

The storm his the Southern Appalachians particularly hard. 

"My husband at one point was like, 'Boy, you're really concerned about this.' And I'm like, 'I don't know why I feel so burdened for these families. This is just crazy to me.' And so that's when I realized we have to find something we can do." 

That is when "Anna the Appalachian Doll" was born. Ahead of the holidays, the family brainstormed what they could do to help the kids affected by the storm. 

"They love ‘American Girl’ and so, I thought, well, what if we thought forward to Christmastime, and we thought, 'Okay, let's see what we can do to help with the trauma that's coming' and to help with the PTSD that I knew was gonna be there. And so that is how we came up with the doll initiative," Angela said. 

Kinzie explains, "So we have a wait list where people sign or tell us the girl's name, their hair color, and how old they are, and then they tell us a little bit of their story of what they went through. And so we try to make the doll as close as we can to the girl. So if it was a girl with red hair, we would send them the doll that looked closest to them."

Kinzie said she is learning a big lesson on life through the doll initiative. 

"It's like not about us at all. It's like we're trying to help, so it was very exciting getting through this. It's also getting to help them. The girls are it's so nice that we get to help." 

Angela agreed, "They're practicing generosity, and that is going to breed in them. It's going to grow in them, and that's what brings us joy."

What we don't know:

The long-term sustainability of the initiative remains uncertain. It operates solely on donations. It’s also not yet known whether similar programs might be inspired in other disaster-affected areas.

What you can do:

For more information, visit Mountain Heirlooms: An Appalachian Doll Initiative Facebook page.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Mountain Heirlooms: An Appalachian Doll Initiative.

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