Project Linus

On Saturday I had an opportunity to participate in a very special activity, Project Linus!  Project Linus was held in the activities center of a local church and originally I had gone just to take some pictures for an assignment I was working on. I thought it was just a donation drop off for blankets for the needy. I had no idea what was really involved!

When I walked in I was greeted by the friendliest ladies. Right away they offered me lunch. I politely declined since I had just ate before arriving.

I walked around to take some pictures and the place was packed with volunteers ( retired folks, girl scout troops, and small childen) all HAND MAKING these blankets!  It was like an assembly line! At one table you had folks measuring the fabric, other tables were cutting the fabric, and other tables were assembling the blankets.  There were ladies sewing, as well as making labels and inspecting!

 The day I was there, the ladies ( and a few gentleman) were making fleece blankets ( the ones with the tied ends) and quilts.   I quickly became intriqued, and before I knew it, I was there helping too. I had helped assemble three blankets and met some really wonderful ladies!

                               Here are a few of the blankets I helped to assemble.

 One of the ladies that I was working with  was neighbors with Davy Jones ( from the Monkees) so she had some stories to tell! She also shared with me that she collected key chains and had over 2000 key chains from all over the world. She even had pen pals send them to her. She said she was trying to collect them from all 50 states. Ironically I had a key chain with me from West Virginia, so I gave that one to her!  I was surprised that another lady had recognized my name from the stories I write for the newspaper. She told me how much she liked them! That was fun to see someone who reads what I write, it's like a had a fan!

 

When each blanket/quilt is completed, a Project Linus label gets sewn on to it, a tag is attached saying where is was made and by whom ( we all got to sign our names to the tags attached to the blankets we helped with), and then it goes through an inspection process where they take a metal detector to it ( to make sure all the pins are taken out, because sometimes they get missed).  Then these beautiful blankets are sent to local children's hospitals. Sometimes the blankets get sent to a region where disasters have struck, like the recent floods on the east coast and when hurricane Katrina hit.

I normally don't write about my work, but I had so much fun this day (  it was a really great charity and I had lots of fun interacting with the seniors) that I just wanted to share. Maybe it will inspire others to volunteer for a charity sometime this holiday season.  There are actually Project Linus chapters all over the country. Maybe there is one near you.   Project Linus Chapter Listings.
 ~M

Are you crafty? Have you ever made a blanket?  ( I made a fleece tie blanket last year for my sister)
Is there a charity that you normally volunteer for?