Project Linus is a nation-wide organization dedicated to giving blankets to children up to the age of 18 who are either in distress, navigating loss, or recovering from natural disasters. At a recent monthly meeting, members of the organization were working to make new blankets.
Named after Charlie Brown’s best friend from the “Peanuts” cartoon, Project Linus has celebrated 30 years since its founding in 1995 on Christmas Eve, according to Rowan County chapter coordinator Eileen Stewart. It began when a married couple donated blankets they made to children in a hospital.
“Someone else saw the story on the news it was in Chicago. They decided that they should make it a national thing to give blankets to children in need of comfort. So, that’s where it began 30 years ago,” Stewart said.
The project is made up of volunteers like Samone Ratcliff, who said she joined because of her desire to make quilts and give them to those in need of comfort.
“I like making quilts, something I’ve done since I was a child. You can only have so many quilts, you can only give so many quilts away, but you still have the desire to make the quilts. So, I like making the quilts knowing they’re going to go to children, comfort them, soothe them,” she said.
Though Project Linus is a generally lighthearted organization, Eileen Stewart said some of the children they’ve donated to have faced difficult or traumatizing experiences.
“Got word back that one girl who had been trafficked from one of the Carolinas, I think it was South Carolina, got a blanket and got sent back to her parents,” she said.
Ratcliff said the blankets are given locally to hospitals, rehabilitation homes, as well as police and fire departments. She also said the project has given quilts to those suffering the aftermath of floods and other natural disasters.
“We’ve had quilts go to Rowan County, Fleming County, Bath County, Fayette County, I think Carter County. In other words, where there’s a need, and we know about it, we try to get those quilts out to the kids,” said Ratcliff.
Another volunteer, Denise Chadwick, said in addition to the charitable nature of the organization, she has learned a lot about sewing and pattern making during her time with Project Linus.
“I only knew how to make one kind of quilt, and there they actually taught me how to make several different kinds of quilts. So, I have learned all kinds of patterns and how to put them together easily, and I’ve had a lot of fun in the last three years doing it,” said Chadwick.
However, Ratcliff said sewing is far from the only activity at Project Linus.
“We have people who crochet, people who knit, we have some excellent crocheters who are men who come in and bring their blankets,” she said.
Members can also measure and label blankets for proper distribution, allowing participation for those with little to no sewing experience.
The Rowan County chapter of Project Linus holds a monthly meeting at the Rowan County public library on the first Tuesday of every month from 4 to 8 p.m. Ratcliff said new volunteers are welcome, and interest is the only thing a person needs if they want to contribute.
More information about Project Linus, monthly meetings, blanket drop-offs, and chapter coordinators can be found online at projectlinus.org.