APRIL 2018 NEWSLETTER

                                Make a Blanket with Friends

Our blanket making day for April will be April 2^nd, (the day after Easter) at OSLC, 10:00 to 2:00, - 2500 East 3900 South

You are also invited to join the blanket makers at Riverton Senior Center on April 27^{th, -} 9:30 to noon - 12800 South Redwood Road.

NOTICE:   

    The Wool Cabin has moved from the 33^rd South location.  They will no longer be collecting our blankets. 

                           Generous “In Kind” Donations

Thanks to these people who have donated in support of children who need a blanket hug. 

Pat Ames, who donated quilt kits in December, again presented us with enough snuggly cotton batting to share with our contributing quilters.  She also decided to give our chapter the 56 beautiful hand made receiving blankets that she had intended for sale on her Etsy site. 

Elaine Erickson, who last summer contributed yarn and blanket/burp hemstitched sets; has again emptied her “stash.” We have more blanket/burp sets and several plastic bags of yarn - Kitchen size bags! 

Majestic Elementary School contributed fleece - 40 pieces.  Their intention was to make blankets, but much as they tried, the children were not able to turn the fabric into PL blankets.  The fleece was still useable after the edges were removed. We appreciate their good intentions.   

Kim Weis and husband Steve (Kimie Ann Fabrics) have volunteered to donate their long arm quilting process on about 10 quilts a month for PL.  She will be working with the Square Corner Quilters and Project Linus will receive the quilts.

Someone dropped off 15 beautiful crocheted afghans at Annie’s Quilt Shop in West Jordan.  No contact information was left on the blankets.  So much wish I could contact this person to thank her.  The handwork is fabulous!

Audrey Slabbert teaches her grandchildren to make something nice for a child in need.  The children are ages 8,6,5, &4 and all helped on the quilt. 

 

Our Blanketeers, who continue to buy fabric and supplies, are grateful for donations.  They are happy to receive all the donated fabric, batting, thread, yarn and quilt tops.  They continue to produce beautiful blankets for children. 

Happy Spring, 

   Millie

March 2018, Newsletter

                                              

 Hello Blanketeers,

Thought I would give you a different newsletter today.  There is news.  We have all been busy - doing, making, sewing, labeling, and delivering. 

But, here is something I thought you would like to watch and listen to.  It is The Project Linus Theme Song:    “Covered in Love”. 

You can hear it and watch the video by going to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUAw2bSjSvg 

This says it all – why we work at this project; why we care about kids; why we want to help; and how we contribute to share our love.

 Thanks and hugs to all.      Enjoy!

    Millie

FEBRUARY 2018 NEWSLETTER

 February Blanket Making days: 

   February 5th, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church 10:00 to 2:00.

   February 23^rd Riverton Senior Center 9:30 to noon.       

Some very kind person (I never found out who) nominated our P.L. Chapter to be considered by “Pay It Forward” to receive a donation!

   The team from Channel 2, and representative from Mountain America Bank showed up at our January blanket-making day to interview us, and film blanket making.  They presented our chapter with $500.00 to be used in the purchase of supplies, fabric, yarn, or whatever we need.  The presentation was shown on the January 4 evening news broadcast.

                  KIWANIS CLUB

    West Valley Club, whose president is Richard Brown, has supported our chapter in the past.  They also made a generous donation this past month.  Thanks Kiwanis people. 

              YARN DONATION

 Claudia Howard, of West Valley, has donated two large plastic bags full of yarn  - every color and weight.  Please contact me if you are crocheting for PL and need yarn.  You can come over to my house and pick out what you like or I can bring you colors you ask for. 

          PROJECT LINUS NATIONAL

 We do not act alone in our quest to send blanket-love to children.  Our National organization is the vehicle that puts us in the volunteer business.

      To maintain chapter status all PL chapters are required to raise at least $500.00 every calendar year, which is sent to PL headquarters.  From that donation, 20% is used for operational expense at that level and 80% our chapter uses.  It is really a comfort to have our finances in order before the end of January.   

            OUR NEW ASSISTANT COORDINATOR

I have been fortunate to enlist the help of an official Chapter Assistant Coordinator.  Patsy Bueno who has been with our P L project for two years, has agreed to accept this role.  Her experience in school administration and her organizational abilities will be a great value to our chapter. 

This is a big time commitment for her, as the job requires being available at any time; responding to phone and email inquiries; willingness to organize and handle blanket-making events in our county; and responsibility for quality control inspection of everything we deliver.

I wish to welcome Patsy to this role.   I sure hope she will still have time to crochet and make the blankets she loves to create.    

BLANKETEERS ARE TEAM WORKERS

All the parts of getting beautiful blankets into the hands of children in crisis are shared by all of us.  You shop, raise funds, sew (and no-sew) crochet, knit, rescue and remake, label, package, distribute and deliver.  Thank You

   

Drop Off Locations:   (don’t forget to leave your contact information)

Wool Cabin, (in Ivy Place)

2020 East 3300 South, SLC

Hours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

The Cotton Shop

9441 South 700 East, Sandy

 Hours: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Quilts Etc.

8720 South State, Sandy

Hours 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

The Quilt Shop (inside the Fabric Center)

                                          9135 So. Redwood Road

                                          Hours:  9:00 am to 9:00 pm

January 2018 Newsletter

Hello PL Blanketeers,

Here we are again at the close of another successful year of PL volunteerism.  Your participation is the heart of what we do and I am able to distribute blanket hugs to kids only because you create them. 

Christmas is an important time of year for our distribution and we have made lots of kids smile this Christmas because of all of you.

Welome Baby Program,

 

This program is operated under the United Way Grants.  It serves underprivileged moms and helps provide them and their new babies with supplies and products that every baby should have.  Our PL blankets have been a special gift to these moms as you see in the picture. 

Pay It Forward  - Salt Lake City Police

Well I never thought I would ever see a big tough cop sitting on Santa’s lap!  But here he is with his little shopper at a participating Walmart on Parley’s Way.  What a fun morning it was – watching little ones bond with their officer and pick out gifts.  The kids had breakfast with their officer, rode in the police cars, shopped, had a picture with Santa, picked out a PL blanket and a backpack and had a lot of fun.   Special thanks to Dustin Parks, of the SLC Department for organizing the event. 

Granite Park Junior High  - English as a Second Language

There are five periods a day at this junior high school in Granite District where kids study to learn our language.  They already speak many different languages.  But a blanket hug has its own language of love.   Thanks to Blanketeer, Marie Jex, who works at the school, we were able to reach these kids with a Christmas blanket.     

 Shriver Center – Chapter 1 Pre School

     Just thought you would like to see the smiling faces on these little ones as they hold their blankets.  They were so excited to choose a blanket for Christmas. 

Our Blanket Making Schedule

We try to be consistent with our blanket day schedule and usually meet on the first Monday of every month.  However – In January our work space at OSLC is not available on the first 3 Mondays

We are happy to share our space with the Family Promise Program that offers shelter to homeless families.  To accommodate them, we will be meeting on Thursday, January 4^th.  Hope to see you then. 

Riverton group will meet on their usual day – the 4^th Friday of the month – January 26^th. 

            

Extending Thanks

As we close the year and look back at our record and progress, I would like to extend my thanks, to all of you who are the heart of PL.  There would be no PL without you – blanket makers – donators – deliverers – labelers – packagers – and all of you who come together and enjoy working together. 

This year our total distribution of blanket hugs to kids:  2842!  What an amazing things we can accomplish when we all work together. 

Happy New Year, 

Millie

Newsletter- December 2017

Hello Blanketeers,

December 4^th is blanket day at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church – 10:00 to 2:00.  Plan to join us for some work, and a noon luncheon to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas Holiday Season.  

        Police Officers – Pay It Forward

 Dustin Parks, Community Programs Manager at the SLC police department, will be handling a program this year for troubled children to bond with police officers.  If you want to observe this event the children will be Christmas shopping with officers on the morning of December 16^th at the Walmart on Parleys Way – arriving there about 7:00 am.  Everyone is pleased that our P L Chapter will be donating scores of blankets for this event.

Santa’s (Project Linus) Helpers

   These are our "Santa Bags" all ready to go out to 300 children before December 24th.  We have to start early in order to get them to children in need of a blanket hug by Christmas.

 

       They are headed for:  Refugee children, St Mark’s NICU, Pioneer Valley Newborn, Guardian ad Litem, Army National Guard, DDI Vantage program, Welcome Baby, Shriver Center, Police and kids shopping, and Life Start Village (women’s and children’s refuge.)  

  

  

An Inspiring Donation! 

This is Pat Ames who is an Etsy internet entrepreneur.  She has donated 47 quilt-making kits to our Chapter quilt makers.  Pat found that sewing quilts is very time consuming and it turned out not to be the enterprise that fit her personality.  She found that quick turn-around-projects like collars and bows ties for pets worked better for her. 

   Each quilt kit contains matched quilt bottom, top, edging, binding, and even matching thread.  Our participating quilters will buy the batting to complete the quilts, and the quilts will soon be in the hands of kids who need a blanket hug.   Huge thank you to Pat for joining our service to children in need.

A BIG THANK YOU

Our Chapter is 100% privately funded and operated by volunteers who buy fabric, prepare fabric, sew, crochet, knit, label, package and distribute blanket hugs to children age 0 to 18 years old. 

Thanks to all our volunteers for a wonderful successful year of giving to children in need. 

     BEST WISHES FOR YOUR CHIRISMAS – MAY IT BE FILLED WITH LOVE.       Millie