Published: November 03, 2009 11:13 pm      

Students, volunteers make blankets for Project Linus

Indiana University Kokomo students Megan Marsh and Lindsay Nantroup bend over a table in Alumni Hall, scissors in hand. The two start cutting strips in the gray fleece on the table, all around the edges, to tie knots and create a soft, fuzzy blanket from it.

Soon, that blanket, along with 272 others, will be at St. Joseph Hospital or Howard Regional Health System, waiting to be placed in the arms of a child who needs some comfort.

The students, along with community volunteers, made the blankets Tuesday for Project Linus, in a community service day sponsored by the American Democracy Project.

Kathryn Stremiecki, one of the American Democracy Project co-chairmen, said Project Linus fits in with the campus project’s goal of “getting students engaged in community service.”

She said last year, students and community volunteers made and donated 179 blankets, and the goal for this year was 125 blankets. By noon Tuesday, there were 180 fleece, knitted, quilted and crocheted blankets rolled up and ready for delivery. By the end of the day, there were 273 blankets made and ready to give.

Janet Duchateau, Project Linus chapter coordinator for Howard and Tipton counties, said most months, the group makes and receives 60-80 blankets, which, divided between two hospitals, is “not a lot of blankets.”

She said the blankets donated Tuesday mean chapter members can take December off from making blankets.

“This really boosts our total for what we can give,” she said.

Duchateau said the group accepts new donated blankets all year, and Guarantee Vacuum and Sewing Center is a dropoff site. She said the blankets are given to children who are hospitalized.

The group also accepts donations of Beanie Babies, which are wrapped up inside many blankets.

Stremiecki said several people brought in blankets they completed at home to donate, while others came to make fleece blankets on site. Turnout was so good, she said, they had to set up more tables and buy more scissors. She was preparing to buy more fleece as well.

Amber Reed, assistant professor of education, said there has been yarn and quilting kits available, but most of the blankets made Tuesday were the cut-and-tie fleece blankets, so volunteers did not need to bring supplies and “you can’t mess it up.”

Nantroup, a senior education major, said she and Marsh had made three blankets in an hour.

“It’s amazing how many blankets you can make in a short time,” she said.

She liked knowing something she made will help a child.

Marsh thinks the gift of a blanket reminds children that “there really are good people in the world.”

She added that as a future teacher, participating in the blanket-making day shows her how she could implement a community service project in her own classroom and school.

“Making one blanket can make a difference,” Marsh said.

• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at 765-454-8585 or danielle.rush

@kokomotribune.com.



You can help:

The Howard/Tipton County chapter of Project Linus meets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the third Saturday of every month. The next meeting is Nov. 21 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 700 E. Southway Blvd. Those who want to help should bring all their supplies and join the group.

As of September 2009, Project Linus has distributed more than 3 million blankets. The local chapter has donated 3,857 blankets since April 2006.

The group accepts blankets made of new materials, washable, handmade, and in child-friendly colors. Sewn blankets should be at least two layers. Preferred size is 40 inches by 60 inches. Blankets should be free of smoke or chemical odors, pet hair and embellishments such as buttons, tassels or other hanging items.

For more information, go to www.orgsites.com/in/plkokomo.