We frequently hear people say, and occasionally say ourselves, this year just flew by. Well Blanketeers, can you believe over eight years have flown by since the first handmade blankets were delivered to Kennestone Hospital by our ambitious group, the Northwest Atlanta Project Linus Chapter!! Each year has seen new goals reached and new Blanketeers added, which means more children are receiving blankets because of your generosity and kindness. The following is a recap of these past six years . . ..

2000 - 313
2001 - 816
2002 - 1,424
2003 - 1,503
2004 - 2,189
2005 - 3,008
2006 – 2,301
2007 - 2,449
Total Blankets Delivered - 14,003

Because our blanket donations have increased, we are able to support additional facilities. For a list of these facilities, supported by our blanket donations, please see the "deliveries" page on our website.

Speaking of website, we would like to thank Susan Bradford for creating, maintaining, and updating our website which has also brought us lots of inquiries and new Blanketeers. Besides information on our chapter, she created a link to Project Linus Headquarters. This has information on other chapters, patterns, statistics, etc. - a must see if you haven't. She has also linked us to search engines for families who have lost a loved one in the war on terror. The section on "Children of Fallen Heroes" on our website has also been updated with information on the progress of reaching the young children of these fallen soldiers. Project Linus blankets are soft and warm and bright and everything good which reminds them of the good times they had with their loved one.

We have been donating blankets to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital since 2000 as most of their children are "seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need" (guidelines from our Mission Statement) of a handmade blanket. You have made over 2,500 handmade blankets for the children at Scottish Rite. Peggy Douglas of Scottish Rite Volunteer Services wrote a note of appreciation which follows this report and echoes our tremendous gratitude to each and every one of you for each and every blanket that brings warmth, comfort, and security to the children in need at all of our hospitals and shelters.

Sincerely,

Sandy Koch and Marleen Manley

LETTER FROM SCOTTISH RITE:

Dear Friends:

On behalf of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, I would like to thank you for your continued donation of beautiful handmade blankets. In the past five years, Children's has received over 2,000 gifts of love from Project Linus! These blankets have brightened the day for children of all ages during their hospital stay at Children's, and also serve as a reminder to our patients and families of the love extended to them from our community. Please accetp our heartfelt gratitude on behalf of patients, families and staff.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the leading pediatric healthcare systems in the country, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization tha benefits from the generous philanthropic and volunteer support of our community and state. With 430 licensed beds in two hospitals and more than 400,000 annual patient visits, Children's is recognized for excellence in cardiac, cancer and transplant services, as well as in many other pediatric specialties. To learn more about Children's Helthcare of Atlanta, visit the Web site at www.choa.org or call 404-785-kids.

Thank you for your tremendous commitment, dedication and generous support to children's Healthcare of Atlanta. It is through the thoughtfulness of people like youthat makes a difference in so many lives. I wish you a very happy and healthy new year.

Sincerely,

Peggy Douglass
Volunteer Services