newsletter - July 2014

Dear Blanketeers,                                                              June 2 9, 2014

Happy Summer!  I can't believe how fast the days fly by!  I hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.

Our next blanket day will be Monday, July 7th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, 2500 East 3900 South in Holladay.  Please join us to drop off blankets and say "hi" or to spend some time with us this month.  We hope to see you there!

Our chapter is doing great things!  Thank you to you all that you do!  I know summer usually gets busy with family and additional commitments.  We've had a great summer with our donations remaining steady.  You continued support is so appreciated and makes a huge difference to a child in crisis.  The blanket we make, mean the world to a child.

Millie and Kristin go shopping!
Shopping for new materials is always fun and we've been watching the sales.  Both Millie and Kristin did some shopping with funds generously donated by Center Shift.  There are some great new materials to work on at our blanket days.  Thank you again to Center Shift for your support of our Chapter of Project Linus!

This month I wanted to share a couple of pictures of beautiful blankets made by some great blanketeers.  These were made from scraps that we received as a donation.  We appreciate these generous donations of materials and have some talented quilt makers!  I envy them for their skill, as I'm learning to quilt and it take a talent to put materials together and to sew straight!  It's a lot harder than you'd think!

  Thank you Lola, Jean Ann and Jean.  You are some of our regular contributors who love to sew!  We are so happy to receive your blankets they are so amazing!

Millie is working to set aside the blankets we need for South Jordan's Shop with a Cop - so we'd love to see your medium size (1 1/2 yard) fleece blankets.  They can be crocheted on the edges or fringed.  Just look for fun, kid friendly prints appropriate for ages 8-10.

Kristin picked up a donation of well made medium and large sized blankets from Bingham High School Service Club.  Their leader had been in contact with us a few times and did such a great job making the blankets all ready to label and distribute.  The club members met during their lunch hours and after school to work on many service projects.  We were glad to have them include us in their year and hope to hear from them again.  We so appreciate their beautiful work and fun teen printed blankets.  Thank you BHS Service Club!

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!  We hope to see you soon!

Hugs,

Millie & Kristin
email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com

newsletter - June 2014

Dear blanketeers,                                                              May 26, 2014

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

 We are planning ahead to some blanket needs coming up this fall.  We've supported South Jordan's Shop with a Cop for several seasons.  Each year before Christmas they take deserving children, who may not always have much, shopping with a law enforcement officer.  This year Millie has started collecting & setting aside the blankets we need.  Please start to think of this project & bring a 1-1/2 yard piece of fleece in print appropriate for 7-10 year olds.  We'll need both boy and girl prints.  These children have had some contact with law enforcement, sometimes now always positive.  This program allows them to have a good experience & some fun with the police officers.   Thank you to all the loving blanketeers making this project possible!  

AFTER THE BLANKETS ARE MADE - Blanketeer Spotlight - Beverley Cook

      There are lots of things to get done before a Linus Blanket is given to a child in need.  One of those is the labeling.  When a blanket passes our high quality standards it is given a special label, packaged, tagged to indicate the appropriate age and gender of the child who should receive it. 

     Beverley Cook, has been the official label sewer for months now.  She sews labels for us from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, the first Monday of every month.  She says she loves this job because she gets to see and handle every beautiful cuddly blanket.

       Thanks to Bev for her diligent attention to this important task.    

Blanketeer spotlight

Last week Millie was invited by Barbara Brae (who also crochets, and raises funds for Project Linus) to spend the evening training her Quail Run Ward relief society friends to make fringed no-sew blankets.   They learned how to make a Perfect blanket and completed 6 flawless, cuddly, beautiful pieces during the evening.  As all of us know, there are some pitfalls to be aware of and avoid in order to fringe a high quality blanket.   This group plans to continue making blankets for Project Linus as an ongoing activity.  Many pieces of fleece have already been purchased and are just waiting for their next meeting to be completed.   Thanks ladies for your interest, generosity, and willingness to do good things for children!

All of your time and talent is so appreciated!  We love your beautiful, bright, well made blankets!  Also, if you ever leave a blanket at a drop off site, please leave your name on it so we know who donated it to us.  We do have receipts, if you ever need one from your donation, just contact Kristin.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to Project Linus in Salt Lake County.  Whether you make blankets, sew labels on, package blankets, 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

Millie #801-272-4024

email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com

newsletter - May 2014

Dear Blanketeers,

Happy Spring!  At least spring in Utah, which can be rain, snow, sunshine or everything in between.  I am so happy that the days are longer and weather is warming up!  I have lived  her long enough to not be tricked, so I'm still waiting to shop for flowers and officially welcome the sunshine.

We are busy, busy with some beautiful blankets coming in.  We are always to pleased to receive beautiful, well made quilts, crocheted blankets and bright, soft fleece blankets.  You are all amazingly talented.  We so appreciate your loving and amazing talent.  Thank you  for sharing your time and continuing to donate bright, kid friendly blankets.

MAKE A BLANKET DAY at North Valley will be Monday, May 5th from 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Please join us at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church 3900 S 2500 E in Holladay.  We can't wait to see you!

      Spotlight on: Two Close Friends written by Millie

      Shirley Geary and Nan DeBernardi

      I chose to spotlight these two friends together as every time  see them they are together.   Usually Nan drops by and picks up Shirley on her way to make-a-blanket day every mont.  They joined Project Linus together when Kathy Morrow first organized, but their friendship goes back much further – 28 years.

     Nan and Shirley shared their teaching careers at St Ann’s Catholic School in Salt Lake City. Together they covered the spectrum of grades.  Nan taught 1^st and 3^rd in Wyoming, and Kindergarten at St. Ann’s.  Shirley taught 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th at St. Ann’s. 

     Shirley was raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts and she came to Utah when her husband was employed as an Engineer at H.E.Cramer Co.   They have one daughter and also a son who has given them 3 grandkids – all are living in nearby.  Must not forget to mention her special Wheaten Terrier – Maxwell. 

     Nan has two sons who have each managed to have twins.  She now has two sets of twin grandchildren and an additional girl for good measure.   Except for Nan, who was a teacher, it’s an engineering family - her husband, two sons, and one daughter in law.

     Both of these blanketeers learned to crochet after joining our chapter.  Not only do they make blankets together, they belong to a book club, shop, and often lunch together.  Their sons attended Judge Memorial together.  

     Shirley says the thing she likes most about PL “is being of service for the many kids who are in need.”   Nan says “after leaving the our blanket day she goes home feeling uplifted and happy.”

    Our Project Linus Chapter is very lucky to have such devoted and supportive women.  You both are loved and appreciated.   Our heartfelt thanks to both Nan and Shirley.         

We received this wonderful thank you letter from Primary Children's Hospital:

Dear Salt Lake County Project Linus Members,

Thank you for being a hero to children at Primary Children's Hospital.  Your gift of all sizes and kinds of blankets will help our patients as they battle complex illnesses and injuries.

There are common traits among heroes:  They excel in strength and courage; they accept challenges; they battle demons.  All of these can be said of our patients and their families.  Thank you for thinking of them and helping to ease their burden.  On the third floor of the hospital are life-size statues of Superman and Spider Man.  Our patients love to look up to them.  Likewise, we look up to you for your thoughtfulness and caring.

The delightful Mr. Rogers once said, "Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me."  On behalf of the staff at Primary Children's Hospital and especially the patients, thank you for your kind act of service.

Warmest reguards,

Sharon A. Goodrich
Foundation Director

We wanted you to know that everything you put into our project is noticed.  Thank you for your continued participation and support of our chapter.  We hope to see you next Monday on May 5th or sometime soon!  North Valley always meets the 1st Monday each month (unless it's a holiday) so we hope you can join us!

With a blanket hug,

Kristin & Millie
email: slcprojectlinus@gmail.com

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

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America First blanket day

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