Home » Charity » Charity Pick: The Linus Project

Charity Pick: The Linus Project

Posted by Kelly on February 12th, 2009 at 04:14pm

I don’t think I’m the only one who can say that my security blanket as a child was extremely important to me. In fact, I still have it — or what’s left of it rather– saved away in the back of my closet. Non-profit organization Project Linus aims to bring comfort to sick, abandoned and in-need children all over the country by sending them their very own, handcrafted security blankets. Project Linus has over 380 chapters around the country and has delivered more than 2 million blankets to children in need.

The idea for Project Linus came about on Christmas Eve in 1995 when founder Karen Loucks was deeply impacted by an article she read which featured a small girl who had recently undergone chemotherapy. Loucks was so touched by the story she decided she wanted to do something to help and so Project Linus was born. Project Linus’ headquarters are located in Bloomington, Illinois where National President Carol Babbitt and Vice President Mary Balagna direct and orchestrate the activities of Project Linus chapters located across the United States. Babbit and Balagna have been involved with the organization since late 1998 and they also maintain the Central Illinois chapter which donates an average of 350 blankets every month to local children. The handmade blankets are collected and distributed to children in hospitals, shelters, and social service agencies and with chapters in all 50 states, Project Linus is constantly growing.

If Project Linus sounds like an organization you might be interested in participating in, please check out their website. They have many patterns and project ideas so you can jump right in to creating a handmade security blanket for a deserving child who needs your help and warmth. Also, be sure to look at their chapter listings to find a near-by Linus Project chapter you can join and be a part of the community.