Second Quarter Newletter 2016

CHAPTER COORDINATOR’S MESSAGE

I hope that this newsletter finds you between watering those outside plants and sitting for a spell to work on another Project Linus blanket. We celebrated our annual Volunteer Tea in May and before I cover the details I wish to issue an apology to those that didn't receive an invitation. After some extensive research to figure out what happened, we determined that we failed to click an override button for those that have taken us up on our offer to read the newsletter electronically and not receive an in kind tax receipt, your address labels did not print and you therefore did not receive an invitation. We certainly regret this and can learn from our error as to not repeat this in the future. We hope you don't consider this a personal slight.

Now back to the tea which was enjoyed by many. Roger Winchell captivated us with his beautiful quilts that he learned to do after retirement from a successful career in the IT field. Perfect Balance Physical Therapy offered some timely exercises to help with those sore sewing muscles. As always, the food was delicious and plentiful, the crafts so tempting and creative, and the raffle choices were beautiful. With this in mind I think all of you are aware just how much work an event like this entails. A big thank you to all who helped make this day so successful.

"OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE THE BEST BLANKETS POSSIBLE......YOUR MISSION IS TO TELL A FRIEND!"

A SPECIAL DONATION

I received an amazing phone this spring from the mother of a young lady who chose to make Project Linus her project for the work that she was doing on her Girl Scout Silver Badge. Her mom said that she would like to bring her daughter to meet with me in order to deliver the blankets. We made arrangements for her to attend our May work session. Ciara made many of the blankets herself, but she also asked family members to join her in this effort and we were all overwhelmed when she and her family showed up with 171 blankets. If this is representative of the young people of our world today we can be very proud of our youth.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

I was joined by Connie Stanfield, Janet Stewart, and Suzanne Hinchey on a journey to Bloomington/

Normal IL to attend the annual Project Linus Conference June 14-19. We celebrated the 20th birthday of Project Linus with wonderful days spent in friendship, leadership, education, and pure fun. When we weren't in a chocolate coma we were learning new ideas to bring home. Sadly, this is the last National Conference as there are going to be some changes made on the National level. Our wonderful leader, Carol Babbit, is retiring and a search is one for a replacement. One of the changes will be a huge downsizing of operations and therefore no more conferences at that level.

Here is an interesting fact that I brought home from the Conference to share with you. The total number of reported blankets given out nationwide as of 3/31/16 is 6,690,427. If a value were to be given to these "hugs" it would be $151,735,675......WOW!!!

With that said, we can be especially proud of the 58,317 blanket "hugs" that our Chapter has given out in WNC since its beginning.

PL MYSTERY QUILT CHALLENGE 2016

The National Office is once again holding a mystery quilt challenge, with the theme being "Gracie's Get-Well Garden." I encourage you to participate in this fun by signing up on the Project Linus website, projectlinus.org, after 9/01/2016 and click on the Mystery Challenge Fundraiser link. The cost is $15.00 for the pattern, specify our local chapter (WNC Chapter) and the $15.00 will be applied to our account. Each individual must purchase the pattern, as no sharing of the pattern is allowed. Six weeks of DETAILED instructions will follow on how to complete that week's "clue." When the challenge is complete you will send a picture of your finished quilt to National. Twenty top winners will be picked from all of the entries. Pictures of those 20 quilts will appear on the National web site and then the voting will begin. I hope that many of you will be in this group and once we get the word we will all work together to spread the message and get the voting to commence. There will be many great prizes along with the pride and fun of participating. There is so much talent and imagination in our chapter

it wouldn't surprise me if we had several in the finals.

NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED, IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER DOES.

Margaret Mead

A LOVELY THANK YOU NOTE

We don't make a blanket hug for a thank you but when one arrives I always try to deliver it to the right recipient so I thought it right that I share this with each of you.

"Hello kind volunteers, my son received a lovely red white and blue striped blanket at Mission Hospital in Asheville NC on June 17 after he was kicked by a horse and broke his leg. It was a terrible experience for him. I want to let you know how comforted he was by the wonderful soft blanket he was given by the nurse. He was very thankful and we were so impressed by this simple and kind gesture that we wanted to say thank you and try and find out who might have made this blankets so that we might thank her personally. The blanket has thin and wide red, white, navy blue and sky blue colors and is finished on the edges with navy and red crochet with a thin x pattern of light blue on the inside. It is expertly done. Thank you ever so much and keep up the kind work."

If you would like to be on our email list, send your request to Helen McConnell at:

jhmcconnell@bellsouth.net

BLANKET DROP OFF SITES

Asheville:

A.C. Moore Craft Store

River Ridge Shopping Center

Hendersonville:

Grace Lutheran Church

1245 Sixth Avenue, West

Joann Fabrics of Hendersonville

Blue Ridge Mall

1800 Four Seasons Blvd. (leave at the cutting counter)

Mars Hill

Make It With Yarn

635-6 Carl Eller Road

SECOND QUARTER STATISTICS

In Out

April 462 365

May 415 330

June 326 324

2nd Quarter Totals: 1203 1019

With these latest numbers. Our local chapter has now distributed 58,317 blankets!

Number of knitted dolls donated and distributed

this quarter: 136

Weighted blankets donated to date: 813

CONTACTS:

Chapter Coordinator

Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800

Buncombe County Contact

Sharon Waltman 828-645-7190

Cherokee, Clay, and Graham County Contact

Pam Carman 828-321-4172

Haywood County Contact

Mariam Howell 828-456-5154

Henderson County Contact

Helen McConnell 828-890-3067

Jackson and Macon County Contact

Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800

Madison County Contact

Sandy Burns 828-734-1261

Mitchell County Contact

BettyAltman 828-765-2526

Transylvania County Contact

Pat Crawford 828-883-8746

Yancey County Contact

Asta Jeffcoat 828-682-4373

National web site: www.projectlinus.org

WNC Chapter website: www.projectlinusofwnc.org

Helping children in need

Give us a call: 1-828-645-8800

Second Quarter Newletter 2016