JWUMC.net

This year John Wesley UMC will again be participating in the Project Linus program. Click here to download Project LInus @JWUMC information. 

Project Linus is a 100% volunteer non-profit national organization with a two-fold mission:

Parent's Magazine has named Project Linus as one of the 10 Children's Charities That Deserve Your Support. As of June 30, 2007:

Project Linus Sites

Hospitals, social service agencies, family shelters, summer camp programs for seriously ill children, pregnancy resource centers, police/fire/paramedic units...all of these benefit from your donations. Children of military families receive blankets (as needed) through our national program as well.

We are careful not to duplicate the work of other organizations by working with agencies receiving little support in the form of new blankets for children. 

PLC blankets are donated to more than 50 sites in the following Ohio counties:  Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Highland, Adams, & Brown, plus eastern IN and NKY.  We have generous volunteers in every one of those areas and it is a pleasure to ensure YOUR community is comforted, too. 

In the Cincinnati area 60% of donated blankets are distributed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and their satellite locations.  The rest of the blankets are distributed to social workers, to police and fire departments, to shelters, and to other organizations providing care and comfort to children in need.

We encourage you to get involved by donating a new, handmade, washable blanket or by providing a monetary or material donation. 

Project Linus Blanket Basics and General Information
These are guidelines for making blankets but you are free to use your creativity in creating a new, handmade, washable quilt, afghan, or blanket for a child.  You are encouraged to use children friendly prints when creating blankets because doctors and nurses many times use the blankets as a tool to promote conversations with children. 

Please Keep Our Blankets Safe:  Protect Your Blankets from Smoke!

Please, please, please protect your Linus blankets - and the children that will receive them - from exposure to cigarette smoke.  Once smoke hits the fabric or yarn, it cannot be removed in any safe manner.  This information comes from physicians, our national chapter of Project Linus, and laundry experts at a leading manufacturer.  While washing or using a fabric spray or a vinegar rinse may mask the odor temporarily, the smoke residue will always remain.  The residue is very dangerous for babies with compromised health conditions because it can trigger severe asthma attacks at home or in the hospital.  Because of that, blankets exposed to smoke are a danger to a child’s health and a liability to the hospital and to our organization.

The Only Requirements? 
Project Linus blankets must be:

• NEW
• HANDMADE
• WASHABLE

How Do I Start?
Each blanket reflects the personal touch our volunteers add for each child.  Just pick your favorite pattern - knitted, crocheted, quilted, tied, or sewn - and begin!  Our best blanket patterns have come from YOUR ideas!

Do You Furnish Supplies?
Volunteers must supply their own blanket-making materials.  When available, yarn & fabric donations are offered to volunteers who have already donated blankets using their own supplies.

What Blanket Size Do You Need? 
Children of all ages, newborn to 10 yrs old, receive Project Linus blankets.  Here are the most requested sizes from the hospitals and agencies we serve:

Quilts and Afghans:
Infant - 24” x 30”
Baby, toddler - 36” x 45”
Child - 45” x 54”
Teen - 60” x 70”

Fleece panels (listed as amount in yards):
Infant - 30” X 36” (1 yard cut in half)
(NOTE: No fringe on infant blankets, please)
Toddler - 1 ¼ yds: (any finished edge)
Child - 1 ½ yds (any finished edge)
Teen - 2 yds (any finished edge)”

Blankets, just like kids, come in ALL sizes -- These are only suggestions.  We welcome blankets of any size. Click here for pattern ideas.

Caution:  Long, narrow blankets are difficult for our sites to use.  Sites request blankets wide enough to wrap around the child & long enough to tuck under their feet for warmth and protection against cold. 

Donating Your Blankets
Some volunteers have offered to wash their blankets before donation to Project Linus.  Washing your blankets prior to donation removes the sizing chemicals in the fabric that may be irritating to an ill child.  This is totally optional - Please do not hesitate to donate your blanket because it has not yet been washed or if you donate such a large number of blankets that it would not be possible to wash every one.  Blankets can be washed on gentle cycle with any detergent.  Please use a dryer sheet (no liquid fabric softeners). 

• Tape each blanket with your name/address (mailing labels are great!) – NO PINS PLEASE!!!  Please let us know if the blanket has been washed. If you choose to wash it before donation do not use liquid fabric softener.

If you are unable to make a blanket but would like to contribute to the project the following items would help others when making blankets:

Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated and will be used by others when purchasing materials for blankets.

If you have additional questions about Project Linus please contact Debbie Canter at 894-5657 or debbiecanter@roadrunner.com.  For more information on the national Project Linus organization and additional patterns visit their web site at http://www.projectlinus.org .