2025 April Newsletter 🐰

Welcome spring! While the weather is warming up, there are still many children who can find comfort through our blanket donations. March was another successful month, with 265 blankets received and 290 blankets distributed to the organizations we support.

In this month's newsletter, we celebrate Women's History Month (albeit a month late) by honoring the incredible women who founded our chapter and helped us reach where we are today. You'll also learn about two of the organizations we support and as always, get a look at the blankets we've received this month.

Karen & Millie

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Celebrating Women's History Month (a month late!) & the Founding of Our Chapter

March was Women's History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the countless contributions of women throughout history and in our world today. So what does this have to do with Project Linus? Keep reading to find out!

Project Linus was founded in 1995 by Karen Loucks, a woman who saw a need and took action. Driven by her desire to offer comfort to children facing difficult circumstances, she created the organization and named it after the Peanuts character Linus Van Pelt, who is famously attached to his security blanket.

Fast forward to 2007, when our local Salt Lake County chapter was established by Kathy Morrow. Kathy, who had served as the Project Linus coordinator in Cheyenne, Wyoming, moved to Utah and noticed there wasn't a local chapter. So, she took the initiative to gather a group of dedicated women and launched what is now known as the Salt Lake County Utah Chapter.

The chapter's original founders included Kathy Morrow, Carol Holmes, Ellen Silverblatt, Shirley Geary, and Roma Knuth. In January 2007, they officially kicked off the Salt Lake County chapter with a mission: "To connect children in need of love and comfort to those talented and generous people who give their love through handmade blankets."

Since then, the chapter has flourished under the leadership of Kathy Morrow, Kristen Vance, and Millie Martensen, and current chapter coordinator, Karen Heaton.

No coordinator could manage all the responsibilities alone, which is why we've been fortunate to have exceptional assistants like Kristen Vance, Millie Martensen, Melissa Thayer, Pat Bueno and Karen Heaton, who have been instrumental in keeping everything running smoothly.

As you can see, our chapter was founded and is continually fueled by the dedication of remarkable women. We've come so far since 2007, and we're excited about what the future holds. This year we expect to exceed 40,000 blankets donated since the founding of this chapter! We continue to welcome new blanketeers and look forward to bringing warmth and comfort to the children we serve.

We're deeply grateful to the amazing women who have shaped our success, as well as to Our Saviour's Lutheran Church and Mountain Vista United Methodist Church for their unwavering support.

Throwback photos from Blanket Day in October 2007 💙

We Are United in this Journey

Below are two articles highlighting two of the many organizations we support. There are so many amazing groups making a difference, providing essential services and comfort to those in need. We're just one small part of a much larger effort. Learn more about how we are contributing.

Joyful Welcome

Joyful Welcome is one of the many organizations we support by donating baby blankets each month. This local non-profit partners with hospitals to provide essential items for newborns, ensuring they begin their lives with the care and comfort they deserve. Some of our dedicated blanketeers are active volunteers with Joyful Welcome as well as Project Linus.

We are proud to support their mission and contribute to their success. Like many non-profits, they depend on the generous donations not only of blankets but of other baby items and funds from the community to keep their work going. We encourage you to visit their website at Joyful Welcome and check out their "Ways to Donate" page to see a list of items they need. The next time you're out shopping or on-line shopping, you might come across some great deals on these much needed items!

Hearts Knit Together

Another organization we're proud to support is Hearts Knit Together. Over the past year, they've faced significant challenges, including having to move out of their warehouse into temporary space, only to have that space flooded. With less than 24 hours to evacuate their inventory, they managed to do so successfully, thanks to the help of many dedicated volunteers. They then moved to another temporary location while searching for a permanent one.

Millie and Karen had the opportunity to attend their grand opening ceremony at their new permanent facility in Lindon, Utah. During their visit, they had the chance to speak with April James, Executive Director, and several volunteers and tour the incredible new space. It was truly inspiring. The volunteers shared how much they love our blankets and enjoy assembling their "kits" centered around them. Below is a photo of a "kit" ready for packaging (the red, white and blue patriotic kit) - Millie and Karen noticed it was a Project Linus blanket from our chapter! We also spotted another Project Linus blanket, donated by Sweet Charity Sisters, proudly displayed in the "Wizard of Oz" section awaiting the perfect kit.

We encourage you to visit their website to learn more about the wonderful work they're doing across the state. We're honored to be a small part of the comfort they provide to so many.