thank you note

Dear Project Volunteers,

I want to say Thank you for the beautiful blankets
that my children recieved during our recent visit at
the Palo Alto Ronald McDonald House. You can tell that
every stitch is done with LOVE. It's so neat to see
them curled up on the couch under their blanket after
experiencing a day of intence pain.

Sincerely,
Valerie McGee

Another Grateful Mother

Hello,

We were at Valley Hospital in San Jose last week and
when we were discharged on Friday someone came by with
a beautiful handmade blanket for our daughter Simrin.
It's purple/pink with shades of blue and pink. It was
a great gesture because we got to leave the hospital
with a pretty token and that is quite unusual. We
would like to thank the person who made this lovely
blanket. Simrin is almost 3 and she has had several
hospital visits and this was a cheerful way to come
back home.

Loveleen

Our Servicemen

To Whom It May Concern,
The Arkansas Chapter of Project Linus has sent countless blankets to our
military families over the past three years. And then just prior to Katrina I
requested 200 blankets for a Combat Brigade being sent to Iraq. I thought if
at all possible I would like all of the small children to have a blanket.
The hurricane (s) hit and I knew the demand would be great for your blankets, so
I emailed Ann Benson and said if need be to hold off on my large request.
She said the word had gone out already and your Blanketeers were responding.
Soon I started receiving the wonderful boxes from all over the country,
including Florida which had been hit by hurricane earlier.
Words just do not seem to be enough to express to you the joy these precious
blankets/quilts have brought our soldiers' families. Sometimes it brings a
sadness accompanied by the happiness of holding a true treasure in their
arms. The treasure that each of your people have sewn or quilted with love and
compassion for the children is invaluable and will be kept in their hearts
their entire life. The blankets will warm them in cold and comfort them in times
of sadness.
I can never thank you all enough for what you have done and what you are
doing. God Bless Each and Every Blanketeer!!!

another idea for you blanketeers

We have a fantastic chapter assistant, Kathy Kihm, who leads our Kids
Helping Kids program. I recently heard Kathy speak to a group of high school
students and loved her approach -- For me, she offered a totally new insight on
the worth of our Linus blankets. While I usually stress the comfort & security
angle, Kathy stressed how our blankets can encourage kids to be kids
regardless of their circumstances.
I asked her to write her thoughts down for all of us speaking about the
importance of Project Linus blankets for children. Our volunteers love to hear
stories. I hope her words can give you another way to describe the impact
the blankets can have.
--Kathleen Miller, Project Linus Cincinnati
"I would be willing to wager, that as a blanket maker receiving a compliment
on a job well done, you may have responded: “Oh, it was so simple to make.
I’m glad to have something to do with my time that benefits somebody.” I
hear it often!
As a charitable organization, Project Linus reaches out with blankets to
comfort children in need. As adults, we see blankets comforting children by
offering a soft, warm, protective gift that they can wrap up in, cuddle with, or
lie on or beneath. We recognize the gift of a blanket as an outward sign
that someone cares about the recipient in his/her current situation. All of
that is true, but we must look farther.
Sometimes when I speak on behalf of Project Linus, I have the opportunity
to speak to young children. On an elementary school visit, I asked a group of
kids how a blanket can comfort a child. From a child’s view, a blanket is
so much more. A blanket can be cuddled, hugged, slept with, used as a tent, a
Superhero cape, a tablecloth for tea parties, a long dress, a sleeping bag,
a shawl, a turtle shell, a hiding spot, a cape for a king or queen. A
blanket can be folded up and used as a pillow or wrapped around a secret treasure!
The list went on and on! The kids shared their ideas with exuberance,
smiles and happy eyes!
No matter the situation or hardship, kids long to be kids, and it’s obvious
that blankets can take them places far beyond the confines of a hospital
room, shelter or difficult condition. Blankets are wonderful things, and
blanket makers are extraordinary people. If you have merged your time and talent,
fabric or yarn into a blanket for a child, you have given them not only the
gift of a blanket, but fuel for their imagination and a tremendous boost of
joy! And you thought a blanket was such a simple thing!



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Thank you note from a new mother at Kaiser SC

Hi, 3-14-

I wanted to thank you guys and specially Phyllis (tagging the blanket is such a good idea!), for the blanket provided to my son at the PICU at Santa Clara Kaiser. Arush was admitted to the ICU when he was just 2 days old, and I remember feeling a rush of warmth when the blanket was given to him. I was so tense - This touch of kindness really warmed my heart and gave me strength. Plus, the temperature in the ICU is kept really low, and your blankets sure help.

Arush is now 6 weeks old, and the blanket still serves to keep him warm at home. Thanks!

Priya

Interesting story

This is a delicate story, but one worth sharing. This morning, I
went very early to the local church, where they were holding the
funeral for a local soldier. I delivered a blanket for his 5 month
old daughter, whom he saw one time a couple weeks ago, just before he
passed (he was in Texas since November, suffering from horrible burns
from a bombing).

Last week, a funeral was held for another soldier about 10 miles from
here. A group showed up and protested, very vocal and incomprehen-
sibly disrespectful. Countless people in communities throughout our
area were outraged. The group vowed to be at today's funeral.

Today when I made my early, "quick" stop at the church, I found
myself blocked in by hundreds, if not thousands, of people with
flags, Vets, soldiers in uniform, high school kids, elderly. . . The
protest group was there, too. Whenever this group started protesting
vocally, the crowd began singing "America the Beautiful" or "God
Bless America." Then, over 300 bikers rumbled up, drowning out the
protestors.

The protestors left. Then the crowd became rather quiet, knowing the
funeral had begun. Then people with large American flags lined both
sides of the streets, along with the rest of us, and made an "arch"
which the funeral procession drove through on their way to the
cemetary. It was awesome. So many of the mourners left the church
in tears -- most of them men.

I hope his baby girl will one day understand how a community came to
the rescue of her daddy and his family -- and that the special
blankie dropped off for her will provide a sense of security and
comfort.

A Linus Coordinator from Michigan