2025 August Newsletter
Summer is in full swing, but even the blazing sun can't replace the warm hug of a cozy blanket! While the temps are high, so is the love and our mission continues. Even in the heat of summer, we are still delivering over 250 blankets to children in need each month. Comfort doesn't take a vacation.
In this month's newsletter, we're celebrating one of our amazing centenarian blanketeers; sharing the story behind a surprise donation that had us doing a double take (and maybe a little happy dance); giving a quarterly update on Smith's Inspiring Donations contributions; and showcasing some of the beautiful blanket creations donated in July.
Stay cool, stay kind and enjoy the read!
Karen & Millie
On July 22, Adriana Kolman celebrated an incredible milestone—her 100th birthday! Born in the Netherlands, Adriana brought her adventurous spirit to the United States in 1958, arriving with her husband, son, and daughter. Two years later, their family grew again with the birth of another daughter.
But Adriana didn’t just build a life here—she built a legacy of love. A gifted crocheter, she donates her charming, hand-crafted baby blankets to our chapter, each one a cozy hug made with care.
Yet her giving spirit doesn’t stop there. For the past 55 years, Adriana has been a devoted volunteer at the University of Utah Hospital. Most recently by offering comfort to newborns in the ICU every week with her gentle presence and boundless heart.
Adriana, thank you for wrapping the world in your warmth. Here’s to a century of kindness, and to the inspiration you continue to share with us all! 💙
Amazon Delivers... and So Does Kindness!
Like many of us, I get my fair share of Amazon deliveries (okay, maybe more than my fair share...no judgment). So when I saw a package on the porch last month, I picked it up thinking, "Huh, did I order something in my sleep again?"
Curiosity piqued, I opened the box and was met with a thrilling assortment of printer ink, paper, and trash bags! Now, I get it - this may not sound like a party in a box to most people. But to me? It was like hitting the non-profit jackpot! And then it got even better a few days later when I received another package with blades and a cutting ruler!
It turns out, this surprise box and package of practical perfection came from a generous soul who shopped straight from our Amazon wish list. While these items aren't warm and fuzzy like a blanket, they're absolutely essential to what we do. We use the trash bags for deliveries, paper lets us print tags for our blankets and our bags, ink brings all our labels, tags, letters and thank you notes to life, blades cut our fabric to prepare for blankets and the ruler keeps our cuts straight.
So to our mystery Amazon Angel(s):
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
You've made our behind-the-scenes operations run a whole lot smoother and made these humble deliveries feel like a gift from the gods of supplies.
Big Thanks to Our Smith's Shoppers!
We're doing a happy dance over here! Thanks to 18 awesome households who linked their Smith's rewards cards to our chapter, we received $82 for the quarter ending June 30, 2025! Every grocery run made a difference and we're so grateful for your support.
Shoutout to Smiths Inspiring Donations for making this possible and to all of you for shopping with heart!
Want to join the fun or spread the word to friends and family? It's easy! Just visit our "Ways to Help" tab or head to Smith's Inspiring Donations.
In closing, here is a sampling of blanket donations during the month of July!
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