Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Project Linus and Blankets of Gratitude

A friend reminded me of Project Linus, a great organization (Thanks, Ka Yun!) which I've not thought about in a long time. When I'm done with Graham's blanket (my new nephew), I'll make one for them. Time to check out my local chapter, too.

This memory also puts me in mind of a program that VA hospitals have, called "Soldiers' Angels" -- very similar, where lap robes are made for hospitalized vets, to bring something home made to those sterile hospital beds and wheelchairs. Read more below. Both of these are good projects for folks who want to knit small items -- I, for one, knit in the car to keep my anxiety down. Perfect to knit and focus on caring for others -- both anxiety relief practices.

The Project Linus Mission

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested

individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

Blankets of Gratitude

This winter, thousands of veterans will spend time in a VA hospital or facility, away from the warmth of home, family and friends.

We want them to know that they are remembered, that we are thinking of them, and that we are grateful for their past service. Since we can't visit them all in person, our goal is to wrap 25,000 of these Veterans in lap robes, representative of our support and appreciation, called "Blankets of Gratitude." The lap robes will be a physical reminder that they are not alone. When a veteran receives a Blanket of Gratitude, he or she will know that somebody remembered them, that somebody labored over a handmade robe with thoughts of them and hopes or prayers for their health and comfort.

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