Monday, December 30, 2013

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