*Blanket Recipients
*Ollie's Story
*Blanket Guidelines
*Make-A-Blanket Day
*Where to Take Your Blanket/s
*Fallen Heroes
*NEWSLETTER (in PDF format)
*Patterns
*DONATE or VOLUNTEER

ABOUT PROJECT LINUS:

A HUGE THANK YOU to each of our wonderful volunteers!

Together, you made 4,409 blankets for Project Linus during 2008!

As of December 31, 2008 we had delivered a total of 21,578 blankets to children in the Tucson area.

When the chapter began in Spring 1999, our goal was to ultimately reach 1,000 children.

Instead, look what's happened!!!! With the help of over 300 women, men and children, who regularly make and contribute blankets, Project Linus Tucson has given the gift of a security to many thousands of children.


As of September 30, 2008 there were 384 Project Linus Chapters. Chapters are in all states of the USA. Together, volunteers in these chapters had given 2,602,174 security blankets to children!


NATIONAL ORGANIZATION'S MISSION STATEMENT:

Project Linus is a volunteer non-profit national organization with a twofold 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 hand made blankets and afghans that are lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers".
  • To provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION'S HISTORY:

Project Linus began in Denver on Christmas Eve 1995 when an article appeared in Parade Magazine entitled, "Joy to the World". Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams, it featured a petite downy-haired little girl who had been undergoing intensive chemotherapy. The article stated that her security blanket helped her get through treatments.

Karen Loucks read the article and decided to provide homemade security blankets to Denver's Rocky Mountain Children's Cancer Center.

The idea grew, Charles Schultz's family gave permission to use the blanket-toting Linus as the logo, and Project Linus was born.

July 2009
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Click Here for Full Calendar

Members List:

Coordinator:
Marge Koeller 578-7115
AsstCoord:
Jody Elmer 760-8852
NW Area:
Elizabeth Stewart 825-0963
SE Area:
Jan VandenHeuvel 885-3126
NE Area:
Mary Dimercurio 885-5703
SW Area:
Marge Koeller 578-7115
GREEN VALLEY:
LOIS WESTERVELT 399-1411

Links Section


PROJECT LINUS, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

BLANKET BEACON ISSUE2.2

FLEECE BLANKET EDGES; 5 VIDEOS

SQUARE DANCE QUILT BLOCK

QUILTMAKER MAGAZINE HOME PAGE

ALL OF QUILTMAKER'S PROJECT LINUS QUILTS

"JUST FOR FUN" PATTERNS

FREE QUILTING LIBRARY

FREE EMBROIDERY DESIGNS

FREE CROCHET PATTERNS

FREE PATTERNS:PERSONAL/CHARITY USE ONLY!

FREE CROCHET PATTERN: ANNIE'S ATTIC

PARENTS' MAGAZINE ARTICLE

FONS & PORTERS ON-LINEEXTRA QUILTING TIPS
img Project Linus, Tucson Chapter
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Click here to edit your pageClick here to go to your office
ANNOUNCEMENTS:                                                                      Photo: This is Ollie. Please click on "Ollie's Story" in the lefthand column for his story and more photos.

Recent updates on this site:
-- A new letter, about a Tucson child who received a Project Linus blanket, from Kelli (scroll down to "Letters to Linus")
-- Two new knitting patterns from Connie Mallette (click on Patterns in lefthand column)
-- Catalina Quilting will close on June 20 and reopen the first of August in a new location! (for new address click on "Where to take your blankets" in the lefthand column)


New Links added on May 8: Go to our "Links" section (below left) and click on "Blanket Beacon" to read the current issue of our national headquarters' newsletter. Links have also been added for the web sites referenced within the issue.


Our volunteers and blanketeers are so amazing! (Click on NEWSLETTER in the lefthand column for the MANY milestones recently reached by the Tucson Chapter.)


Help us to "Go Green". "Click" on "Newsletter" in the lefthand column of this page. It is available there, in MSWord and also PDF format. By reading our newsletter on-line you save us the cost of printing, paper and postage. If you are receiving a hard copy of our newsletter, why not send us your e-mail address and read it on-line. (see Contact Us at the bottom of this main page) We'll notify you when a new issue is on-line and you will be able to read it a week or more before the next hard copies are mailed. Our next release will be sometime in the Fall.


Thank you to the over 100 women, men and children who joined us on Make-A-Blanket Day. Special thanks to the five members of Kohl's A-Team who spent several hours helping us make blankets. Cathey's provided some of their sewing machines, and Karen Coyne worked the event again this year as the machine sewing expert! For the third year Northminster Church allowed us to hold our event in their facility. CostCo, Fry's, Basha's and Safeway provided the snack foods and bottled water. Door prizes were donated by Cathey's Vac & Sew, Cataling Quilting, Quilters Desert Patch, Best Buy, Quilters Market, Bella Quiltworks, Kiwi Knitters, Grandma's Spinning Wheel, Purl's, Hancock's at 22nd & Wilmot, Cactus Quilts, Quilt Basket, and some of our own volunteers. Volunteer Sandy McLaughlin donated an afghan for a raffle. THANK YOU to each of those we have mentioned, and especially to our hard-working volunteers who worked before, during and after the event. Without them there would be no Make-A-Blanket Day!

Roughly 100 blankets were made at home and given to us the day of the event. We had (again, roughly) 129 quilt sets or fleece blankets were readied in advance; many were finished during the event but many were also taken home for finishing. Of course it takes longer to knit or crochet an afghan, so those will come in after they are finished at home. We also checked out fabric and yarn kits that people will make at home. Bottom line is that, although we don't have an exact number to report, hundreds of children will be comforted as the result of Make-A-Blanket Day 2009.


The Tucson Chapter holds meetings on the third Friday of each month (see CALENDAR section below left). If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please click on "DONATE--OR--VOLUNTEER" in the upper portion of the lefthand column.

Your donations, and your donations of time, are greatly appreciated.


Help Project Linus when you shop for groceries:

BASHA'S "Shop and Give" Program:

  • Customer Service will link your Basha's card to Project Linus Tucson's Group Number #24602.
  • Be sure your Basha's card is scanned each time you check out.
  • Basha's will designate a portion of your purchase to Project Linus Tucson.

Be sure to have your ALBERTSON'S Community Partners card scanned when you check out there.
  • Community Partners cards have been available at meetings and from our coordinator for quite some time.
  • You don't need a card to get Albertson's discount prices, but you DO need to scan your card for us to get a donation.

 
LETTERS TO LINUS:

Dear Project Linus Volunteers,

Our 7 year-old daughter recently spent 3 weeks at UMC and received a beautiful blanket made by Mary Beth. She loved receiving it! Every morning we made her bed and draped the new blanket across the bedspread. Not only did it make the hospital room look and feel more "homey", it was a soft place for her to sit during the day.

Thank you so much for your devotion to Tucson's children. We truly appreciate it!

P.S. She still has her butterfly-shaped crocheted blanket from her last hospital stay 3 years ago :)

Kelli


Dear Marge,

We at Healthy Families wanted to thank you again for the beautiful blankets your group has worked so hard on. Please know that our families love these blankets and children of every age get excited when they learn they will be getting their own blanket;and don't have to share!

Thank you so much! Lupe Ricardez


Dear Project Linus,

I want to say "thank you" for the lovely lap quilt that my six-year-old son received at Carondelet Surgery Center this month. He had minor surgery and was very frightened. Your quilt was a great hit! He still sleeps with it. Keep up the good work!

The Shannons


Dear Karen (person who made the blanket),

Thank you very, very much for the quilt you sewed me!! It was a very special surprise for me the day I went in for surgery! I was able to take it into the surgery room with me, which made it a little less scary for me!

Thanks, Madison


Dear Project Linus Coordinator,

Thank you so much for your kind donation to our babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We truly appreciate all the time and hard work that you and the other members of Project Linus put into making the blankets. A LOT of love went into each one!

Best Regards, the staff at the NICU of Northwest Medical Center


Project Linus,

Your support of Arizona's Children Association and our family of agencies over this past year allowed us to reach more than 45,000 vulnerable children and families across the state with programs and services that brought hope and changed lives.

On behalf of our Board of Directors, our staff, and the children and families we serve, Thank You!

Fred Chaffee, President and CEO

Editor's Note: An "Exceptional Volunteer Award" plaque was presented to Project Linus a year ago. It stated "In Recognition of your Deep Commitment and Outstanding Devotion to Arizona's Children Association". We were most honored to receive this recognition.


Dear Ms. Koeller
First of all, congratulations on your new position as Chapter Coordinator! On behalf of The Giving Tree Outreach Program, I want to thank you for your recent donation of blankets. I wanted to personally tell you how much your support means to the many homeless and hungry children and adults in Tucson.

Each year, we continue to advance our mission of helping the homeless and impoverished in Tucson. Through our various programs, such as Project FEED and the Jobs Program, we have seen many lives changed for the better.

Again, please accept our deepest gratitude for your support. Blessings to you and yours.

Sincerely,
Libby Wright
BA, MA, PhD Candidate
Director


Dear Volunteer:

Our daughter had her tonsils out at Carondolet Foothills Surgery Center last week. She was very upset prior to surgery and the nurse brought her a pink and purple crocheted blanket. Pink and purple are her two favorite colors! The blanket distracted her from her distress long enough for the Verset to kick-in and the experience was much less traumatic than it would have been. She has not let go of the blanket since we brought her home. She sleeps under it day and night.

It was made by Sun City Vistosa Casa Amigas.

Thank you again,
Donna


Project Linus - Thank You

This morning my little girl had tubes put into her ears at the Carondolet Foothills Surgery Center. When we arrived she was given a new blanket, courtesy of Project Linus. I cannot tell you how happy this made her, and how it took her mind off of what else was going on around her. I happened to have my camera with me and thought you might enjoy a picture of your work in action. Thank you for the blanket and the work that you do; it is much appreciated.


A security blanket is just what a child needs.


This letter is from Joni Cruver who delivered one of our "Fallen Heroes" blankets:

I was very honored to be at the funeral service on behalf of Project Linus' Fallen Heroes Program. The soldiers came up and thanked us profusely for doing what we do and for being part of such an outstanding program. Since I am a newcomer to Project Linus, I am passing this along to you to share with all of those blanketeers who make this program such a success. I want to thank you for this life-altering experience. I hope, as we all do, we never have to give one of our wonderful quilts away again, but in the event that we do, I will be there to do whatever needs to be done.

Let's keep these men and women in our thoughts and prayers, and may they all return safely to their families.

Love, Joni


To Project Linus
Dear Friends:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and families of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona, I want to thank you for the donation of blankets for the children staying at the house. We always look forward to your visits, and seeing the originality and thought put into the creation of the blankets. Your thoughtfulness and belief in our mission and your support of the Ronald McDonald House is truly a gift. We thank you for opening your hearts and caring about others.

The children and their families join me in my thanks. We send our best to you.

Sincerely, Matt Hitchcock, House Manager, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Tucson



Dear Friends at Project Linus,

A heartfelt thank you for the lovely blankets! Lots of times as babies leave the hospital we see them wrapped in your beautiful creations. The fact that moms are using them right away is an indication of how appreciated and valued they are! Your work has brought countless smiles to the faces of our new parents. What a wonderful, generous gift it is that you provide!

Sincerely, Martha Mckibben, Womens' Center, Northwest Medical Center



Recently our newborn son was hospitalized at the University hospital in Tucson for some heart defects, and during his stay he received a blanket from the Project Linus group. We really appreciate the time and thoughtfulness of the volunteers who give comfort to those during rough times. We especially want to thank Casa Amigas of Sun City Vistoso who made our son's blanket. Beautiful workmanship!

Love, the Bakki's

  SHARED THOUGHTS

"Asking a Quilter to mend
Is like asking Picasso to paint your garage."

-- Cheryl Mammano, Manager, Art & quilting Gallery, Benson, AZ (one of our drop-off points)


"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." -Mother Teresa
"I am only one but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." --Helen Keller
One of our knitters saw this quote on TV and wanted to share it:

A volunteer is love in motion.


Below is a poem that we found on the Project Linus site of the East San Fernando/Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Chapter:

With Tender Loving Care

I can't be there to hold your hand,
I can't be there to hug you,
I can't be there to dry a tear,
But there is one thing I can do.

I can sit here in my room at night
And dream of you out there,
And make a blanket just for you
With tender loving care.

When you hold this blanket in your arms
And close your eyes real tight,
You can feel the love I tucked inside
When I made this late one night.

So dry your tears and smile a smile,
You aren't alone, you see.
You have this special blanket--
You have a part of me.

Poem by Pam Braden

 

CHECK OUT OUR LINKS



Quiltmaker Magazine's January/February 2009 Issue Announced This Project Linus Pattern: "Lotsa Pops!"

Each year the magazine publishes a quilt pattern specifically designed in support of Project Linus' national organization. Past years' designs have included "Play Ball", "Single Scoop" (ice cream cone), "Happy Cats", and "Hearts for Linus".

Use our "Links" section to get patterns from the "Quiltmaker" web site. (As of December 4 the "Lotsa Pops!" pattern had not been put onto Quiltmaker's site. All past Project Linus patterns were available.)


While you're surfing, why not visit Project Linus' national web site too! Find out more about the national organization, and check out their links to crocheted, knitted, fleece and quilted blanket patterns.


 
 PROJECT LINUS, TUCSON CHAPTER
Tucson, AZ

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