May 2023 

Happy Belated Mother’s Day.

April’s Blanket count:-     576 collected             520 donated
For the past few months I have been asking for ‘boy’ blankets - thanks to those who have made these blankets, specifically for the boys.  Now I’m asking for help once again. We need blankets for all the children, boys and girls. We are a little behind where we should be. The lovely spring weather is coming to an end, ‘hibernation’ is around the corner - in other words, time for us to stay indoors and create blankets for Project Linus.

Most of you know the partnership we have with Sleep in Heavenly Peace. This wonderful organization builds beds for children in the Phoenix area, children that sleeping on the floor in their homes. We donate blankets to SiHP every few months. We recently donated 70 blankets to them.  Joe Genovese is the Phoenix Chapter Coordinator for SiHP and he and his wife Donna recently came to collect the blankets and surprised us with an ‘award’ honoring the Phoenix West Valley Chapter of Project Linus. Please ‘check out’ the print when you drop off your blankets. We are so happy to be able to donate our beautiful blankets to this worthwhile organization.

 

 

 

I haven’t mentioned it for a while but I need to repeat myself. PLEASE make sure your pets are kept away from your blankets. I have been told by proud pet owners that their pets lie on the blankets as they are being constructed! NO!  Children and pet hair, dander etc do not go together.

No more news. The next drop off day will be Memorial weekend, Saturday, May 27th. 9:00am to 12:30pm. I look forward to seeing everyone.

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April 2023 

Blankets in:   522                                     Blankets out: 475

I’ve waited for a while before I send out this month’s newsletter. Why? I don’t have any news for you.

Things are going smoothly, no issues to report.  We still need ‘boy’ blankets, all sizes. 

Please realize that there are five Saturdays this month so we won’t have drop off day until April 29th. Please check website if you are not sure of time or place. 

As always, THANK YOU for all you do. 

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March 2023 

Good afternoon, 

Sorry to be so late with the newsletter this month. My publisher was out to town and to be quite honest, not much news this month. 

February’s totals -               Blankets in 386            Blankets donated 530

Thank you to everyone who donated to our annual fund raiser, especially to those of you that were so kind, giving much more than the suggested $20. We exceeded our goal - thank you! 

As most of you know, I have to purchase items for the Chapter. One of the items are the labels that get sewn onto each and every blanket that we donate. National had a ‘competition’, each Coordinator needed to have her reports done for the year. Depending on how many blankets were donated and how much money the Chapter raised for 2022, labels were awarded. I’m happy to tell you that we received 3,750 ‘free’ labels.  We were also awarded either yarn or batting if our end of the year reports were done. I chose yarn and a box arrived with a lovely variety of colorful skeins. A huge thank you to Patty and the Board for these incentives and rewards. 

The next ‘drop off day’ is Saturday, March 25th from 9:00 - 12:30 at the FSEC office. I look forward to seeing everyone.

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February 2023                 

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70,187 blankets have been delivered to children in crisis since March, 2010.

Congratulations Phoenix West Valley Blanketeers - the amazing total of blankets that were created and delivered. I am so proud and excited to announce the above total. 

1,000 blankets were brought in at last month's Drop Off Day. 657 were donated to recipients.

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Jeannette Duffy of Happy Trails Resort on Friday. It was decided that the Annual Happy Trails Quilt Show would, from now on, be every other year. This year, a scaled down version of the event - Quilter’s Market was held. I was invited to attend to promote Project Linus. Jeannette has been a huge supporter of Project Linus for many years (longer than I have been Coordinator!) Most of the quilters make quilts for us. Thank you Happy Trails Quilters, especially for all the help you give Jeannette and a special thank you to those who now support Project Linus. The group donates approximately 400 quilts a year to our Chapter. THANK YOU! 

While I was at the Quilter’s Market, a couple stopped by to thank Project Linus for all the wonderful work we do. Their granddaughter is battling cancer and so far has received 2 Project Linus blankets.  Her grandmother told me that one of them is her very favorite and it goes everywhere with her. Aren’t we lucky to be part of such a worthwhile organization? The blankets were not from our Chapter as the family lives in Colorado but it is lovely to hear that we do make a difference. 

We had an unfortunate incident happen during the drop off in January. One of our Blanketeers parked in the driveway and someone else backed out hitting and scratching the parked car. Sadly, the person drove off without stopping to check if there was any damage. From now on, please park in designated spots or in the street, not in the driveway. 

 

Please don't forget that we are trying to reach our monetary donation goal to keep our chapter running. If you can, please help us out with a $20 (or more) donation. Thank you

As always, thank you to each and everyone of you that continue to support Project Linus. What an awesome Chapter we are and it’s all because of our dedicated Blanketeers who donate new, handmade blankets. I also need to thank my ‘team’, the women who give of their time to help, sometimes twice a month, to make sure the facilities will get their blankets and to the Delivery people, who deliver our blankets to the recipients. I’m lucky to have a couple of people that also collect blankets from various places. I know I keep repeating myself but I am so grateful to each and everyone of you. 

Sorry the newsletter is a little late this month. My publisher had a very busy weekend. Next Drop off Day, February 25th. I hope to see you then.

 

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January 2023

Greetings and Happy New Year! 

I have no idea where the last few weeks have gone! Time has flown by, and the first week of January is over! We will be ‘back in business’ in a few weeks. I had started this newsletter before Christmas, needless to say I have deleted a few paragraphs! 

It’s been a busy few weeks for our Chapter of Project Linus.  Our last drop off of the year was November 26th. We collected 405 blankets and donated 872.  

We donated 50 blankets to Billy’s Place for their Winter Wonderland event. We had already donated 66 to them in May for their event.  When we first started donating to them, they only needed 50! Billy’s Place is a Grief Counseling facility, so many children have lost a loved one.The Arizona Rangers (they have a bbq party for the children of Sunshine Acres) took 85. 

Shop With a Cop with Peoria PD was fabulous.  They had 50 children participate. So much fun for the children and the adults.  

Sleep In Heavenly Peace, were able to hang 20 Fiesta Bowl colored Project Linus blankets on their float during the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Thank you to those of you that donated these special blankets. 

It has been a fantastic year for our Chapter.  Finally being able to have the Blanketeers stay and chat for a little while as they drop off their blankets. No meetings, just a drop off day.  The meetings were fun but a lot of work - and as I am getting older, I need to make things easier for myself and for my ‘team’. The new way of ‘meeting’ is working out very well. For those of you that have supported me over the years, you have noticed the changes in the ‘meeting’ room. No room for a full ‘Bee’. I am not going to look for a new facility, we are lucky to have our ‘free’ space for storage etc. I do hope to have a couple of ‘special’ days throughout the year. Maybe a make a quilt day and a crochet/knit day. 

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As most of you know, at this time of the year I have to do a report for National.Total blankets collected for the year 6,372 

Total blankets donated for the year 7,174

 

Now for the best news - since I took over the Chapter in March of 2010 (I don’t have numbers from before then) we have donated, drum roll please, maybe I should just wait, ok, the grand total is 69,530 !  For those of you that know me, yes there were tears!  What a fantastic number!  This means that we will reach 70,000 the early part of 2023.  Just think of all the children that have received some extra love. On the rare occasion that I have witnessed a child receiving a blanket, it’s wonderful to see their faces light up! They are thrilled and the older children are amazed that someone has created a blanket, just for them. 

 

Drop off days will be continuing, the last Saturday of every month. Please remember, if there are five Saturdays in the month, it will still be the last one. The address for the drop off day - 17621 N 25th Avenue. Hours - 9:00am to 12:30pm.

 

 I am so grateful to my ‘team’ for all their hard work, making our Chapter so successful. We meet half way through the month to prepare for drop off day and of course we are working on drop off day. Thank you, friends, for all you do! 

 

It is that time of the year again. The part of my ‘job’ as Coordinator that I dislike the most. As you know, we have to raise $500 every year to be able to keep our Project Linus Chapter open. This money, in part, is kept for our use, to buy labels, literature, plastic bags, printing ink, blanket making supplies etc. National keeps 20% of our donation for insurance, licensing etc. So, for the past 10 years or so, I have asked for donations instead of trying to raise the money needed. I’m sure you have all noticed prices of everything is increasing. This also affects P. L. I think a $20 donation from each will help us to raise our $500. Of course, if you would like to donate more, I would appreciate it. 

 

If you shop at Fry’s please add Project Linus, Phoenix West Valley Chapter to their community rewards program. We get a reward every 3 months. We receive at least $150 a year, a small, easy way of raising extra money.

 

We are still collecting soda can tab tops for Ronald McDonald house. Also, we continue to collect feminine hygiene products for the teens that cannot attend school one week a month, because they don’t have supplies. Where are we sending these items - Phoenix! Yes, here in our valley, there is this problem and our donations will be used locally.

 

We are lucky that we have new people show an interest in Project Linus, checking out the website and reading the newsletters. So, for those of you that have read the next few sentences before, please bear with me as I repeat some of our rules. 

1. Please use 100% cotton fabric, in child friendly prints. 

2. Please remember the blankets are for children, from birth to age 18, so appropriate patterns.

3. No seasonal or religious themes.

4. 100% acrylic yarn that can be machine washed AND dried.

5. Baby blankets need to be at least 36” x 36” or 36” x 40”, babies grow! Again, child friendly colors, age appropriate! No black, brown, dark baby blankets.

6. When crocheting or knitting your blankets please weave in 6” tails, forwards and backwards. Please do not just tie a knot, these knots come apart in the wash. 

7. Fleece - no double fleece, or blankets with knots. If you want to use fleece, please check the pattern on the website for no-sew fleece blankets. It’s an easier way of creating fleece blankets. Again, child appropriate, no seasonal or religious themes. 

8. Fleece may be edged with a crocheted border using acrylic yarn. 

9. Flannel may be used. 

10. Please do not use the new blanket / chenille yarns - we have discovered that this yarn is not suitable for frequent washings, and not child appropriate. 

11. PLEASE, PLEASE, keep your pets away from your blankets. Pet hair and dander cannot be removed from crocheted / knitted, fleece or flannel, the hair gets stuck and woven in. Unfortunately, we receive some beautiful blankets that are completely covered and I am sad to let you know that these blankets have to be thrown away. We cannot donate pet hair covered blankets, or blankets that have offensive odors. So many children have severe allergies and we cannot take the risk of a child being affected by one of these blankets. 

 

I am thrilled, grateful and happy. So many of you donating to this wonderful cause. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your ‘hard’ work, your kindness, your continued support and dedication.  I am looking forward to another great year of donating blankets to children in crisis, making a difference, some extra love when they need it most! 

 

I hope to see you on January 28th.