ABOUT PROJECT LINUS

Project Linus is a non-profit organization, dedicated to "Providing Security Through Blankets," for ill or traumatized children and teens. Inspired by a picture of a three-year-old cancer patient holding her security blanket, Project Linus was begun in 1995 by Karen Loucks. Nationally, Project Linus has donated more than 4,463,213 handmade blankets to help comfort children in need in hospitals, shelters, and hospices. Project Linus has 368 chapters in the United States. Project Linus was named after the adorable security blanket toting character from the Peanuts comic strip.

The Project Linus national website has a great listing of patterns for you to use.

DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Our chapter relies on volunteerism and donations.  Volunteers may donate time on their own by making blankets in their home or by coming to planned Make a Blanket Days.  Volunteers are also needed to help at Make a Blanket Days, label and inspect donated blankets, and help at delivering blankets to the organizations and hospitals. 

Donations may be handmade blankets, fabric, gift cards to fabric stores, monetary donations, or tools and equipment for sewing.  In addition to the costs of fabric to make close to 6,000 blankets each year, we have expenses such as postage, satin labels, which are required by our National Headquarters and placed on each and every blanket, paper hang tags and paper labels.  Any and all donations and time are greatly appreciated!   

ABOUT THE MADISON CHAPTER

Anne Urso coordinates the Madison Area Chapter. Over 47,460 blankets have been donated through the Madison Area Chapter to children in Wisconsin.  Our chapter tries to donate 500 blankets each month.  

An article appeared in the November 13, 1998 edition of The Capital Times about Project Linus. To quote Mary Kaminski, child life director at American Family Children's Hospital,

It's great to see the kids' faces when they pick out a blanket. These blankets give them comfort, a sense of worth, both physically and emotionally. Having them made by someone is a big factor. They realize the time it took. It's kind of like bringing someone who is ill homemade chicken soup instead of buying a can. It makes the parents feel that the kids are being cared for.

                                             
                                                                   Delivery Team August, 2010

MAKE A BLANKET DAYS  
 
Many schools, churches and other organizations sponsor a Make a Blanket Day.  The organization "budgets" for this and members purchase fabric to make into blankets on behalf of the organization.  Members from the Project Linus Chapter are happy to help with the event.  We suggest that making "no sew" fleece blankets is a great way to get many people involved, as there is no sewing, just cutting the fringe and tying the blankets. 

2013 MABD SCHEDULE

THE ELECTRIC NEEDLE - Odana Rd. (Market Square Mall) Come to the Electric Needle every 3rd Friday of the month from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. to make Neonatal Intensive Care Blankets (NICU). Please bring 2 pieces of 1-1/4 yards of flannel (1 print, 1 solid) to make one blanket.  You may bring more if you would like!  Sewing machines and ironing boards will be provided, as well as volunteers from Project Linus to assist you with instructions on making the blankets.  Please contact the Electric Needle to sign up for a spot. 831-3770.

Friday, May 17, from noon to 2:00 p.m.   Be sure to call and sign up!

If your organization is interested in sponsoring a Make A Blanket Day, please contact Anne Urso at 608-850-6096 or e-mail: info@projectlinus-madison.org.        

FEATURES   (ARTICLES OF MABD's for 2012 & 2013)

We never know when and how an opportunity may come our way, but recently Anne Urso received a phone call from a woman living in Milwaukee.  Her mother-in-law is a quilter, and like many of us, had been purchasing lovely fabric for many years.  The mother-in-law decided it was time to sort down fabric and decide what she wanted to keep and what she needed to part with.  After talking to her daughter-in-law, our chapter was selected to be the recipient of all this beautiful fabric.  The fabric will be used to make many quilts for the children in our area.  We are extremely grateful for this fabulous donation!  

VERONA FIRE STATION - In Honor of Kalise Peterson -  On Saturday, April 27, a large group of volunteers met to make blankets for the Madison Area Chapter of Project Linus.  The group started at noon and worked until 4:00 p.m.  The final count isn't in yet, but we are estimating nearly 175 blankets that will be donated from this event.  A big thank you to Nancy Peterson for coordinating this event.  This is the second time she has held a Make a Blanket Day in honor of her granddaughter, Kalise.  Also, a big thank you to the Verona Fire Station for letting us use their facility and to Milio's for the donation of sub sandwiches for the event. 

BETHANY EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH  - The White Cross group from the church held their 3rd annual MABD.  The group met from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.  The focus was single layer no-sew fleece blankets.  The group finished over 90 blankets and have more to finish at their meeting in early May.  A big thank you to Evie Friis for coordinating the event and to Sharon and Pastor for allowing us to come and work again this year. 

GIRLS LOVE DIRT TUG OF WAR TEAM - The Girls Love Dirt tug of war team hosted its 3rd annual MABD at the Brooklyn Elementary School, Brooklyn, WI.  There was a nice turnout of women and children today and they made a total of 71 single layer fleece blankets.  We appreciate the continued support from this group.  We hope to make this a yearly event!

MADISON FIGURE SKATING CLUB - On Monday, January 21,2013, the Madison Figure Skating Club hosted it's 4th skating day event.  The club had various activities going on at the Madison Ice Rink including a mini Make a Blanket Day.  The kids and staff made 39 no sew fleece blankets.  We appreciate the continue support the club has given us the past 4 years.

VISTA CORP - MLK DAY SERVICE PROJECT -  A large group of middle school and high school students met at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery on Monday to celebrate MLK Day, learn about all different types of science projects and work on community service projects for the Madison area.  Part of the program included a break out session to tie no-sew fleece blankets.  A group of 7 Project Linus volunteers met at the event and prepared over 100 pieces of fleece for the students to tie.  In total, over 100 blankets were made.  There was additional fabric donated from Lands End, which will be used to back quilts that are being made by other volunteers.  A big thank you to Tosha Songolo for coordinating the event.

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - Sunday, November 11, 2012 - For the third year in a row, Donna Monson has coordinated a lovely session at the church.  Each year they try to surpass the previous year's number of blankets.  This year, the group completed 118 no sew fleece blankets.  A big thank you to all those who prepared the fleece in advance and for those that came on the rainy Sunday to tie the blankets. 

UW SCHOOL OF NURSING  - On Thursday, November 1, 2012, a small group of nursing students got together with a couple of the Project Linus volunteers to make no sew single layer fleece blankets.  This was the first time the group had made these blankets, so they were instructed on how to cut and tie the blankets and during the event, they made 30 blankets!  Thanks to Alexandria Rangel for coordinating this event.

MAD ROLLIN DOLLS - On Saturday, Oct. 27 the girls from the 4 Mad Rollin Dolls Roller Derby teams met at the Fitchburg Library for a make a blanket day.  There were about 25 people there and a few men and children came to help with the event.  60 no-sew fleece blankets were made in about 3 hours.  This is the second time the teams have met to partner with Project Linus' Madison Area Chapter.  The derby group has partipated in many other community outreach events.  A big thanks to Green Mamba for coordinating the event.

WESTSIDE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - On Friday, October 12, the school celebrated Grandpeople's Day and hosted a small make a blanket session with the 7th and 8th grade students and their grand people.  The school provided the fleece to make the blankets.  Twenty-two blankets were made during the event and several other pieces of fleece and flannel were donated.  Thanks to all the helping hands that made this a fun morning activity.

THE ELECTRIC NEEDLE - On Friday, November 16, the shop held another NICU blanket session.  The group made 17 NICU's.  Thanks Jen for hosting another successful day.

The next session will be the third Friday in December 21, from noon to 2:00 p.m.  Be sure to call and sign up!

FITCHBURG LIBRARY - On Friday, September 21, there was a mini make a blanket day at the new Fitchburg Library.  A small group worked and made 10 no sew fleece blankets.  A big thank you to Jamie Hernandez for coordinating this event.

FRIENDS & FAMILY IN HONOR OF KALISE PETERSON - A group of friends gathered on Saturday, September 15 at the Fitchburg Firestation #2 to make single layer no-sew fleece blankets in honor of Kalise Peterson, a recipient of a Project Linus blanket.  The group worked with chapter volunteers and made 32 single layer blankets.  A big thank you to Nancy Peterson for coordinating this.

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LAW SCHOOL 2012 INCOMING STUDENTS

Wednesday, August 22, 2012, UW Law School, Madison, WI.  Project Linus volunteers and UW Law School faculty and students met to prepare 600 yards of fleece which was purchased by the UW Law School and faculty.  There were approximately 20 volunteers ready to work.  We cut and frined 368 blankets in preparation for the following week when the students meet for a Community Outreach Day.

On Wednesday, August 29, 2012, a class of approximately 270 incoming law students marched into Lowell Center about 12:30 p.m. to participate in a community outreach day.  The event began with keynote speakers from the University and a presentation from Anne Urso, Chapter Coordinator.  The group fringed 368 blankets and made cards for the children and also made dog and cat toys from remaining fleece scraps for the Dane County Humane Society. 

Working together in groups gave the students an opportunity to get to know each other in their assigned classroom study groups.  Many of the students came from out of state and had a chance to meet new friends and learn more about the great opportunities Madison has to offer.  This is the second year that the Law School has hosted such an event.

A big thank you to Kimberly Frank, Assistant Director of the Reunions, Alumni & Student Service and the staff at the Law School for planning this huge event.  Kim was instrumental in locating a facility large enough for a group this size and close to campus.  She also found a great resource for fleece.  

The number of blankets made will certainly help our chapter meet our goal of 500 blankets in September.  We hope that many of our new friends and volunteers will continue to help us in the future.  We wish the best to the incoming law students for a very successful future!

EDGEWOOD COLLEGE CIRCLE K and STUDENT GOVERNMENT MABD

On Monday, August 27, 2012, incoming freshmen participated in a community outreach project as a way to meet new students and learn more about Edgewood's Circle K and Student Government Association.  The group met at 1:30 p.m. and worked on single layer no-sew fleece blankets.  In about 1 hour, they made 46 blankets and lots of beautiful handmade cards to give to the children.  This is the fourth year Edgewood has sponsored this event.  We are so thankful to have had this opportunity and hope to continue this in years to come.

THE ELECTRIC NEEDLE -  On Friday, August 17, a group of 9 invdividuals got together at The Electric Needle on Odana Rd. to make NICU blankets for our chapter.  The blanket-makers cut, pinned, stitched, pressed, and labeled for over two hours. The group completed 27 flannel NICU blankets.  Another big thank you to Jen Mulder, owner of The Electric Needle and Katy for their help and the use of their beautiful work space. 

The Madison Area Chapter of Project Linus donates nearly 100 NICU blankets each month.

ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH - On Thursday, July 26, the church had a mini make a blanket day for the 7th & 8th grade students attending the summer bible study camp.  The group worked for about 2 hours and made 25  no sew fleece blankets.  This group has made blankets for us in the past and we look forward to helping them in October for another event.

ST MARY'S HOSPITAL - On Tuesday, June 26, 2012, the hospital had a Project Linus make a blanket day/awareness program.  Teresa Fosdick, RN, coordinated the event to help bring an awareness to the staff of our non-profit organization.  Many of the staff dropped off fleece to make blankets and a group of staff made blankets either before or after their designated shift.  We are thankful to have had to opportunity to share information about our chapter and how Project Linus benefits local organizations.  We would love to have the other local hospitals have a Make A Blanket Day to help out children in need.

BETHANY EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH - Riverside St., Madison, had their second Make A Blanket Day on Saturday, April 14, 2012.  Many joined in and made no sew fleece blankets.  In total, 125 blankets were made.  An additional 9 blankets were donated by Christian Women Fellowship.  Our thanks to the parish and to Evie Friis for organizing the event for the second year.  We hope to continue working with this group in the future. 

ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH -  Be Like Jesus weekend was held on Saturday,  April 21, 2012.  Barb Stock, Megan Halverson and other volunteers worked with member of the church to make 78 no sew fleece blankets.  This is the second year they have had an event and we are so thankful for their generous donation of time, talent and material. 

EVANSVILLE GIRL SCOUT TROOPS On Saturday, April 7, a group of Evansville Girl Scouts met at the new Creekside Place Community Center to make no-sew fleece blankets.  It was a great afternoon with lots of young ladies working hard on tying 65 blankets.  Creekside Place's Executive Director, Dave VanDerHaegen, and his staff were so helpful getting our room set up.  Creekside donated the space to our chapter since we are a non-profit organization.  Our thanks for Lisa Veit for getting this event coordinated.

DILIGENT DOERS - 4H CLUB - The club received a $300 grant to purchase fleece and make blankets for children in our community.  The group has been working on these blankets for the past few months and last night two volunteers from Project Linus came to the monthly meeting to talk about Project Linus and to receive the blankets the group had made.  In total, 56 blankets were made by the Diligent Doers!  Thank you!

GIRLS LOVE DIRT TUG OF WAR TEAM - The second annual Girls Love Dirt Tug of War make a blanket day was held on Saturday, February 25, 2012, at the Brooklyn Elementary School in Brooklyn, WI.  The teams and family members came and worked on no sew fleece blankets.  This year, 120 blankets were made for our chapter. We appreciate all the hard work and effort the teams and family members did for the children in our community.

NORTHLAKE NEIGHBORHOOD - Sunday, February 19, 2012, Rebecca DeCabooter, coordinated a mini make a blanket day at her home in Middleton's Northlake Community.  Parents and children brought fleece to make no sew fleece blankets.  The group made 23 blankets during the afternoon event.  Many thanks to Rebecca for coordinating this and to the community for their support.  We hope to make this a regular event.

MANDRAKE RD. CHURCH OF CHRIST - The Mandrake Rd. Church of Christ held another wonderful Make A Blanket Day on Saturday, February 18, 2012, which was National Make a Blanket Day.  The member of the church worked on NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) blankets and no sew fleece blankets at this event.  In total, 129 blankets were made!  Many thanks for the continued support from the congregation!                                          

MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS - A special thank you to the following companies and individuals who helped support our chapter.

June Tailor Company - donation of 3 large rotary cutting mats
Catelyn Anna Owen Memorial - gift card
FISKARS, Madison, WI  - 2012 - Rotary blades, scissors and scissors sharpeners
UW Law School - sponsor of our largest  MABD to date
Edgewood College's Circle K & Student Government Association - sponsor of a MABD
       
BLANKETS

Blankets should be homemade of all-new washable materials (Do not use any recycled materials or wool.) in child or teen-friendly colors or prints. About 45” by 60” is our most needed blanket size, but blankets of many sizes are useful. Blankets should be at least 36" by 36" for infants, 45" by 45" and 45" by 60" for older kids, up to a maximum of about 54" by 72". Blankets may be knitted, crocheted, fleece or quilted. For fringed fleece blankets, it is best to start with a 1-1/2 yard length of 60-inch wide fleece. "Minky" fleece is not easy to work with, so please do not use this for no-sew fleece blankets.

If you would like to make blankets for Madison's Neonatal Intensive Care Units, please contact Anne by phone or email (see Contact Us section below) for instructions or click here for a .PDF version.

Single Layer No-Sew Fleece Blanket instructions click here

For more blanket-making tips, suggestions and ideas, click here.
For a printable list of helpful facts and drop-off information, click here.

Project Linus volunteers sew a satin Project Linus label on each blanket before it is given to a child.

For questions about the Madison Chapter of Project Linus, contact Anne at 608-850-6096 or
e-mail: info@projectlinus-madison.org
 

 Thank you for helping Project Linus help comfort kids!