newsletter - April 2014

March 31, 2014

Dear Blanketeers,

Welcome Spring!  I hope you are happy to be outside, at least when it's not snowing!  It's spring in Utah, so you never know what to expect.  I'm looking forward to flowers and warmer evenings.  Just the chance to be outside makes me happy!

"MAKE A BLANKET DAY" for North Valley will be Monday, April 7th come join us at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church 3900 S 2500 E from 10am to 2pm.  Bring your lunch - we have a wonderful time!

Just a reminder of our drop off locations:
Mill Creek - The Wool Cabin 2020 East 3300 South
West Jordan - The Quilt Shop (inside the Fabric Center) 9135 S Redwood Rd
Sandy - Quilts, Etc. 8720 S State Street or the Cotton Shop 9441 South 700 East

If you drop off blankets at any of the above locations - please leave a note with your name and contact information and email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com or call one of us, so we know to stop by!

Just a clarification on blanket making guidelines:
We are unable to accept tied, knotted no sew fleece blankets.
Tied quilts and fringed fleece that is pulled through (no knots) are still completely acceptable.  We've just encountered too many poorly made fleece blankets with knots.

Kristin also spent some time up at Primary Children's with her son.  He had a planned surgery.  He was offered a blanket that was not well made.  It was long and skinny and all knotted and bunched up.  It was also a double.  My son said he didn't need a blankets, as his mom was a blanket maker, so she saved it for another child.  It made me appreciate the quality standards we have at Project Linus and that our blankets are truly a gift.  Also, many people I encountered said that the double blankets are just too heavy, especially for children that are healing at the hospital.  So just something to keep in mind, the single fleece, light weight quilts and crocheted blankets are all wonderful when we donate to hospitals.  Healing children are sometimes feverish and heavy blankets are not desired.  Just some information I came across that I wanted to share.

Thank you to everyone to contributes to our chapter of Project Linus.  We appreciate each and every one of you!

Have a great April and we hope to see you soon!

Hugs to you all,

Millie & Kristin
email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com
Millie phone #801-272-4024
Kristin cell #801-386-5917

newsletter - March 2014

Dear Blanketeers,                                                                                    

January ended very busy and February didn't slow down much.  Millie has been super busy meeting with groups and individuals and participating in project days!  Millie gives generously of her time and her dedication is over the top!  She supports our ladies at North Valley, takes time to visit JeanAnn and the  ladies at Mountain Vista, rallies her friends to help label and package, hauls blankets to southern Utah and back and coordinates deliveries with Denna.  Her energy seems endless and I wanted to make sure you all knew what an amazing job she does!  Millie, thank you for all you do!  Our chapter is running smooth and we are reaching out to more drop off locations than ever before.  Please take a moment to thank Millie (and Dean too), she keeps us going!

Make a blanket day will be Monday, March 3rd from 10am to 2pm.  Come join us at our Saviour's Lutheral Church, 3900 South 2500 East.  Bring your lunch - we have a wonderful time!!  Plus, you never know who will bake a wonderful treat!

Grand America Adventure

     With the help and guidance of Linda Manion and Millie, 100 Amgen district reps did the impossible.  They completed 35 no sew blankets in an hour and a half of diligent work.  Amgen Corp is a bio-tech company that had a huge convention at Grand America Hotel in January.  At the end of their meeting days, all 400+ of them worked on one of four charitable projects, three for children – bikes – books – and blankets; and for military personnel -  packages and letters. 

      Mary Hansen, a key planning person for Amgen was familiar with Project Linus, and that’s how we were lucky enough to be included.  As a result, we have 35 beautiful blankets, and will be getting a copy of a professionally made video about Project Linus to use in our chapter.   Special thanks to Amgen – we appreciate your generosity and service. 

Spotlight on “Snow Birds”

     Several Salt Lake women who spend the winter in St. George have become very active in their work to crochet edges on blankets for Project Linus children.  It is so nice that they keep working for kids all winter no matter where they are.  Millie meets with them and picks up their blankets once a month.  Their names are:

     Karen Park, Rochelle Pacheco, Terry Wittry, Bea Keohane, and Linda Caudill.  We so much appreciate the talent, skill, and generosity of these women.  Pictured here among their beautiful blankets are blanketeers, Karen and Rochelle.  Thanks ladies, you do such beautiful work!

donates $1000 to our chapter!

We just received the most wonderful news!  Centershift, a Salt Lake City based software company, has donated $1000 to our Project Linus Chapter!

Why did Centershift donate to Project Linus?  "Part of our company culture is to find ways to give back to our community," said Centershift President James Hafen.  "We are pleased to help Project Linus in any way we can.  It is certainly a worthy cause."

And who is Centershift?  Centershift is a Salt Lake City based software company that has provided management software and other services to the self-storage industry since 2001, when Centershift brought Internet-based technology to the industry.  www.centershift.com

Can you spot our dedicated blanketeer Barbara Bray in the Centershift picture? She's standing on the right corner of the sign, holding the corner.

Here's some of her biography from the company website: "Barbara is the company's Executive Assistant.  Whenever a baby is born to a Centershift employee, Barbara provides a handmade crochet-edge flannel baby blanket for their bundle of joy.  When she's not making blankets for employees, she donates them to Project Linus, a national organization that gives blankets to children in need.  She has donated more than 100 blankets over the past 5 years and has a stash of flannel that will keep her busy for many years to come."

We want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to Centershift for their support of our local chapter.  Kristin and Millie are so excited to be able to reach more children in 2014 and this generous donation makes it possible for us to print our tags, buy more labels and needed supplies and materials.  Your generosity will be felt by children all over Salt Lake County!

Thank you for all you do!  Have a great March!

Hugs,

Kristin & Millie
co-coordinators
email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com

newsletter - February 2014

Dear Blanketeers,

Our next make a blanket day will be at north valley on Monday, February 3rd from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, 2500 E 3900 South, Holladay.  Bring your lunch and come spend some time with us!  We hope to see you there!

Our numbers are calculated for 2013 and we are so happy to share that we distributed/delivered 1682 blankets!!  What a great year!  We continue to be the only supplier of blankets to Guardian ad Litem, donating over 500 blankets this past year.  What a great comfort to children in Salt Lake County.  We are currently delivering to 13 locations in the valley.  To understand what a huge comfort a blanket can provide, here is an email we received:

I wanted to thank you for the 2 blankets my daughters received at the Guardian ad Litem's office at the Mattheson Courthouse on October 29th 2013. My 16 year old and my 9 year old had to speak to the guardian that day because of their father/my husband's domestic violence and child abuse charges. They were both afraid but my 9 year old was so scared that I was afraid she wouldn't be able to talk to the guardian. Before it was her turn the secretary in the office told her about the Linus Blankets and let her pick one. She found one with Pandas on it and was so happy. Pandas are her favorite animal and she has wanted to work on a Panda reserve in China as a doctor. I wrapped her in that blanket and when the Guardian came to get her she stood up, smiling and went right away. It was a miracle and it was because of you and your kindness and thoughtfulness. In this horrible time of the lives of my 3 daughters (I have a 19 year old also) it is so sweet to find selfless strangers who show love to people they will never meet and maybe never be thanked by. I'm sorry that this letter took so long. I am in the middle of divorcing that man and going to his criminal trials and trying to help my 3 girls heal and live normal lives. Please know how very grateful we are for you and your kindness. The blankets my daughters chose were made by Millie and Pat and they are beautiful and so very special to my girls now. But I thank everyone who has helped with Project Linus. sincerely, Cheryl 

Spotlight on Bernie Sprecher

     Bernie - a long time supporter of our SLC Project Linus.  She does it all – participates faithfully in monthly blanket-day; during the month crochets fleece blankets to donate; and does fund raising.   She is a master at finding fleece sales!  She often purchases fleece pieces and gives them for others to crochet – a lovely gift for people who love to do the handwork, but not the shopping.   Her fundraising efforts - through “Thrivent” have certainly been a huge help to the survival of our chapter. 

          Bernie and her “car buff” husband Denny are originally from Cedar Rapids Iowa. They have lived in several states and in SLC for 22 years.   They raised their two children in Wyoming where Denny was in heavy equipment sales.   Sewing was always Bernie’s hobby, but she learned to crochet just 3 years ago.   Her wry sense of humor as well as her kind and caring nature, are a pleasure to all of us who work with her at blanket day.  

We appreciate and enjoy you so very much Bernie.   Thanks for your dedication to Project Linus.   

p.s. Bernie doesn't like her picture taken, but I caught her working away :)

An Eagle Scout’s Project

     Enthusiastic 8^th grade scout, Parker Simpson of West Jordan has completed a volunteer project for Project Linus.  Parker’s group of scouts, have made 20 medium sized blankets – using the no-sew technique.   Parker and his mother met with Millie early in the planning and learned how to make a quality blanket.  Millie worked with them last week – brought scissors, tape, and instructions to help Parker as he taught the other boys to carefully complete the work.   It is great to see kids of this age doing such great volunteer work!  Parker even recruited a few girls for his project and they were a huge help.  Nice job Parker (and his mom)!  

Thank you for all you do!  Keep up the amazing work!  We'll touch even more children in Salt Lake that need our blankets to keep them warm, make them feel safe, and provide a blanket hug when they need that extra love.

Hugs,

Millie & Kristin

IMGP2673.JPG

America First blanket day

America First employees gathered to support our chapter and made some great blankets!  Thank you!!

January 2014 Newsletter

Dear Blanketeers,

Our 2013 is coming to a close and we wanted to share some fantastic statistics that you all have made possible!  This year was a great year!  Our little chapter made and distributed 1559 blankets!  This is only possible with your loving hands and kind donations.  What a great success!  Since our chapter was started we have delivered 11,737 blankets!  Such amazing and wonderful news!

Your hard work enabled us to do some wonderful things this year....

 Once again we were able to donate 110 blankets to Shop with a Cop in W. Jordan.  This program benefits children who have had contact with law enforcement.  Officers take children shopping for gifts and each child receives a blanket from our chapter.  These children may not otherwise have Christmas gifts and it's a great program that has been on-going under Darren Orr's direction for 16 years.  We were able to support Lutheran Social Services in their annual Christmas Give Away Day - in December.  Neighborhood House has been saving up our blankets donated to give each child in their program a blanket, along with a book, just before Christmas.  We have many blanketeers that are making baby blankets and were able to start delivering to Pioneer Valley Hospital nursery, a new drop off for our chapter.  All of these were in addition to our regular donation sites which include:  Guardian ad Litem in Salt Lake & W. Jordan, Crisis Care Center, Fisher House, St. Mark's NICU, Jordan Valley NICU, VA Women's Center and individual children in crisis.

Our Christmas luncheon for everyone was well attended - with at least 25 people!  Thank you all for joining us, our only regret is that we didn't take any pictures!  In addition to our lunch It was also a very good, productive blanket making day!

We have a few changes coming in 2014 and will need your creative ideas to be successful.  If you know of any local businesses, rotary clubs, etc. that we should approach, please let Millie or Kristin know.  In order to continue our mission and be a chapter for Project Linus we are required to raise $500 per year that is sent through corporate.  Of the amount we send to corporate, $400 can be used for our chapter supplies - labels, cutting blades, etc.  The 20% (or $100) goes into the general fund to run Project Linus.  The good news...we already have cash donations in the amount of $190!  We do not have to have the full amount sent in right away, but it is an annual requirement.  We don't want you to change what you do or make you feel obligated to do more, just know that it is a new requirement and we need to look to our community for those donations.  Please continue to shop for a piece of fleece or bring in an extra skein of yarn, these gift in kind donations enable us to make so many amazing and beautiful blankets.

I have attached the website link, which has more information about how donations are used: http://www.projectlinus.org/donations/  If you wish to donate to our chapter, please contact Millie or Kristin.  All checks must be payable to Project Linus, but if you send it direct to corporate it may not be matched up to our chapter, so it's best to send any donation to one of us for correct processing.

This requirement is very realistic for our chapter, we've received cash donations on average of $500 per year from individuals and on occasion a donation from a company.  The hardest part is remembering to ask or to check with organizations that have a volunteer program.  We know they are out there, so the next time you stop in at Kohl's, Walmart of even your local bank - just ask them if they have any programs available and tell them about what you do and how it supports children in crisis in Salt Lake County.

SPOTLIGHT ON ELLEN SILVERBLATT

      Ellen has been a blanketeer in our SLC Chapter since it was originally founded under Kathy Morrow’s leadership.  She is from Chicago and her husband Chuck is from Mississippi.  But they have been in Utah long enough to be considered native Utahns.  Chuck is an engineer with West Tech and his demanding job requires him to travel all over the world.  He is also a great supporter of Ellen’s work with Project Linus. 

      Ellen is always the first one to show up every blanket day - usually 15 minutes before the starting time.  Right away she puts the coffee pot on so it will be ready for everyone at 10:00.  Her smile and her ready conversation are a pleasure to all, especially to new comers who she always takes under her wing and teaches them to make a no-sew blanket.

    Every month Ellen brings at least 4 or 5 pieces of fleece for all of us to work on.  On those days when she can’t shop for fleece or can’t attend, she makes a point of donating an equal amount of cash to be forwarded to National.  Her steady participation and her generous financial support are a wonderful part of our Chapter.   Thanks to you Ellen – we appreciate and enjoy you so very much!   

NORTH VALLEY BLANKET DAY

Monday, January 6, 2014 - 10:00am - 2:00pm

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 2500 East 3900 South, Holladay, UT

We look forward to seeing you there!

We are looking forward to a great 2014!  We so appreciate you and all that you do!  Thank you for your generosity and continued support.

Happy New Year's and we'll see you soon!

Hugs to you,

Millie & Kristin

email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com

December Newsletter

November 23, 2013

Dear Blanketeers,

It's been a busy month and we are so Thankful!   Millie & I, with lots of helpers, have been on the run most of November.  It's be so wonderful to receive a larger than usual amount of donations to support all the drop offs needed for Christmas.  All of you are amazing!!

YOU ARE INVITED!!
Monday, December 2nd from 10am to 2pm is our regular scheduled work day at Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Holladay to make blankets and Millie & Kristin will be bringing lunch!  We hope everyone who can attend will join us for our early holiday celebration.  We want you all to know how much we appreciate you!  We hope to see you there!

I also realized my Joann's card had expired a couple of months back.  If any of you have a non-profit card, it needs renewed ever year.  Here's the link you can follow to fill out the request.  Let me know if you have any troubles or questions. http://www.joann.com/non-profit-program.html

A note from Millie about November's work day:
Just a note to let you know that we had an amazing north valley blanket day today.  15 ladies attended, 4 more came in to drop finished blankets, one person donated 12 rolls of masking tape, another spontaneously brought in home-made chili and bread for surprise lunch. I cut blankets till my punch blade is dull.  We now have received this month, including blanket day today, - 187 blankets!!

BLANKETEER SPOTLIGHT - ladies at Christ the King in South Jordan

There's a small group of ladies, usually 3 to 6, who meet at Christ The King Lutheran Church in South Jordan, 103185 S. Redwood Rd., on the 4th Friday of the month (except on holidays) from 10:00am to noon.  They contribute to our chapter as a community service project for their church. Though they are sponsored by the church, they raise their own funds or make individual donations by purchasing materials to bring to a blanket making day.  This fall they held a garage/rummage sale at the church to raise funds for their blanketing making group.  According to Aileen, who chaired the Sale, we made over $300, and donated the left-over items to MS Society.  The group also received funding for blanket materials this year from the Lutheran Thrivent financial program to purchase blanket materials!  They were so excited to receive this support from Thrivent and went shopping!  They now have lots and lots of fleece for our blankets making to start in full swing in 2014!  Thank you to our regulars who attend:  Judy, Aileen, Gloria, Lynn, Irene, and Edrie. Occasionally others attend, or make blankets at home.  Anyone from the community is welcome to attend our blanket-making days!  Please join us starting in January on the 4th Friday of the month!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!  We hope to see you Monday, December 2nd!

Hugs to you all,

Millie & Kristin

November newsletter

October 29, 2013

Dear Blanketeers,

“Make a Blanket Day” for the north VALLEY WILL be next Monday November 4th... come join us at Our Saviour’s Lutheran church 3900 S. 2500 E. From 10-2.   Bring your lunch – we have a wonderful time!!   

Rowland Hall  - Day of Service Project

     Spending the afternoon with 25 high school kids is an experience none of you should miss.  The energy, good humor, and sincere effort present at the blanket-making day this month was a pleasure to experience.  Everyone in the school is involved in some way - giving service the needy, or assistance in the community on the annual “Half Day of Service.”

     This group of students chose to make blankets as their project.  Together they finished 44 blankets, (24 of which they purchased and contributed.  Many of them were returning to the project from last year, so had some experience in the process. 

      The blankets they produced were some of the nicest we have ever received from a teen group.  We appreciate their generosity, their careful work, and the assistance of their teacher sponsors.  

  

A thank you from Family Support Center...

     "Thank you so much for the wonderful donation.  It will help so many children both in the nursery and our community.  Here at Family Support Center Crisis Nurseries we offer free child care for children between 0 and 11 years old.  It is offered when parents need a little extra support.

     The Crisis Respite Nursery is designed to provide a safe, homelike environment where parents can bring their children during times of stress.  The primary purpose of the nursery is child abuse prevention.  Examples of possible reasons for using the nursery include: stress breaks, medical emergencies, appointments, legal obligations, job searching, interviews, family emergencies, financial stress, family violence, divorce or abuse issues.

     Again, thank you for your support and for donating blankets to the children."

       Sincerely,    

       Caroline Casselman,
       Crisis Nursery Assistant Director

Just reminder about our drop off locations...

Mill Creek - The Wool Cabin, 2020 East 3300 South

West Jordan - The Quilt Shop (inside the Fabric Center) 9135 S Redwood Rd (if the Quilt Shop is closed, just leave the blankets back by her file cabinet)

Sandy - Quilts Etc, 8720 S State Street or

             The Cotton Shop 9441 South 700 East

You can also call Millie to arrange a drop off, if none of those work.  Please leave a note with your blankets!  It's so sad when we can't acknowledge our blanketeers!  It also helps us if you call or  email us, so we know to run by and pick up your beautiful blankets.  Thank you!

 

A special note of thanks to Allison Fisher for the many beautiful quilts she has made and donated to Project Linus.  She now finds that having a third baby will keep her from quilting for a while, so she has donated her flannel fabric supply to our chapter. It has been given out for our talented ladies to keep on sewing, including Mountain Vista United Methodist Church ladies who are gathered together by Jean Ann.  We can't wait to see the beautiful finished quilts!

Help us spread the word!!  When you are asked about Project Linus or if you know of business organizations who have grants or donations for non profits, tell them what you do and why you love it!  We have an amazing group who keeps us supplied in materials they lovingly bring each meeting, but if you know anyone looking for places to donate - tell them about us!!  We are in need of cash donations to take care of labels, blanket tags and other random supplies that keep us going. Just help us spread the word!!

Thank you to everyone who contributes to Project Linus in Salt Lake County.  Whether you make blankets, sew labels on, package blankets, deliver blankets, donate funds for shipping and stamps, or donate paper, yarn or fabric, each one of you helps to grow our chapter so we may give a little bit of love and security to a child in crisis. 

Hugs to you all,

Millie & Kristin