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First Quarter 2024

 

First Quarter Newsletter 2024    


CHAPTER COORDINATOR’S MESSAGE

 

Happy spring to each of you, what a delight to see all the flowers starting to pop up and bring sunshine into our lives. Thanks to each of you we are having an amazing beginning to 2024. Your donations are helping us exceed the requests from the individual facilities. We are bringing in new blanket makers and are involving more groups. You will see pictures in this newsletter introducing you to some of these. If you are working with a group, take pictures and share them with us so that we can highlight them in future newsletters.

We already have a busy year planned so mark your calendars with the following dates: Make a Blanket Day will be held on May 4th, included with this newsletter is a flier with all the details We hope to see you there as this will be the only notification that you will receive before the May date so remember to mark it down.

August 21st will be our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event and October 19th will be our rummage sale, read about the details below.

 


Thank You

 

I am sharing a beautiful thank you note that was received by a grateful mom.


Hi, there! I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing from Mission Hospital, from the pediatric unit. My 4 year old son, Toby, was diagnosed with leukemia yesterday. It was the worst day of my life so far. He’s doing ok right now but the process has just begin.

The nurse gave us a beautiful quilt though, with sea animals all over it. Toby loves it and we slept under it last night. I wanted to write a quick thank you for your kindness in doing that for kids and families in the hospital. Its so sweet, and appreciated.

Thank you again.

We love our quilt. We have a lot more to come ahead of us, and a lot of it will likely be under that quilt!

 

 


BLANKET SIZES

 

A reminder about the suggested sizes of your blankets. We are receiving a large number of very small blankets making it difficult to find a home for them. Toddlers and newborn babies grow very quickly and can benefit from a larger size blanket.

 

Small 35” x  45” and up

Medium 40” x 50” and up

Large 45” x 60” and up

 

 Local Scouts Make Project Linus Blankets

 

As a service to our community, Brevard Girl Scout troop 10181 and Boy Scout troop 703 

worked on fleece blankets for Project Linus.  These young people have done a good deal to help other children in difficult circumstances and should be proud of this accomplishment.  These blankets will be distributed in Transylvania County.

 




 


FELT

 

We received a donation of felt this week and it needs a home. So many of you do such wonderful crafts and if you can use the felt I will be happy to see that it makes its way to you. Call me, Ellen, at 828-645-8800.



RUMMAGE SALE

 

Last year’s rummage sale was such an amazing success it has been decided that we need a repeat performance. This event gave us the opportunity to interact with each other, many community members and the wonderful First Congregational Church located in Hendersonville. Our Romella Hart O’Keefe has once again taken on the role of the leader of the project. She asks that you start setting aside all those items that you have been asking yourself “why am I holding on to these”? 

This sale will take place on Saturday October 19th from 9 -2 at the First Congregational Church. Again, items can be dropped off on Friday the 18th; items will need to be reasonable priced before dropping off. We will not be accepting clothing, electronics, or heavy furniture.

 

 

 DROP OFF ALERT 

We are so fortunate to have business in the area who have agreed to act as a drop off location for your blanket donations. What they didn’t agree to was to be the recipient of your fabric donations. Lately we have been receiving very large amounts of fabric that are being dropped off at these locations. This is not acceptable; these businesses do not have the room to hold your fabric, nor should the staff be asked to handle the fabric. Please do not be the reason that we lose one of our locations, continue to drop off your blankets. If you have large amounts of fabric to donate and we hope that you do as we love to receive this but call either your county contact gal or call me, Ellen, and we will make arrangements to get your fabric.

 

MONTHLY WORK SESSIONS

 

We are still meeting on the first Wednesday of the month at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden. We are meeting from 1:00 until 3:00 ish. We don’t work on making blankets but process all those that have been received during the month, getting them ready for distribution. We would love to have you join us. During this time, we have donated articles for you to pick up.

We now have a table with fleece and batting available for $2.00 apiece. The fleece is precut, in pieces “60” x “90”.  This is a huge savings from what you would purchase at a retail establishment. We will put the $$$ toward the purchase of more of these items.

Thank you to all that attend our work sessions for abiding by the church request that we do not show up before all the school students and staff have left the parking lot. School is out at 12:30, by 12:50 the coast should be clear.

 


Donation Request

  

Project Linus “blanketeers” are a breed of their own. You give your heart and soul to this organization in so many ways, but you certainly don’t stop here. You are out and about in your communities doing and caring for so many others. The following is a request sent from Janet Stewart to help the craft volunteers who help at Mission Hospital. This group makes fidget/busy aprons for cognitively impaired patients.  Manipulating the objects on these aprons soothes anxious hands with sensory fabrics and familiar objects.

 

This group is in need of the following Items:

Zippers, big bead ½ “or larger, big buttons 1 1/2”, Velcro scraps, wide rickrack, wide ribbon 1 ½” or more, wide fabric trims or lace, cording, white thread, wooden spools.

You can bring these items to one of the workdays or text either Ellie Shatrau (828) 230-1622 or Noela Ducharme at (828) 989-1991. These two ladies will be working the fleece tables at Make a Blanket Day so you can also bring your items to them.


Volunteer Gatherings making blankets for Linus


Calvary Baptist Church

Stitches of Love



 

CHANGING OF THE GUARD


It is with appreciation for the hard work that Sue Swavely did for this chapter in the short time that she was in this area. She has moved to be closer to children and grandchildren, which we can all appreciate and understand; however, this will not change the fact that she will be greatly missed. We are so fortunate to have Vivian Andrews who has stepped up to be the Henderson County contact gal. Many thanks to you Vivian. We are always looking for those that would like to be more involved than just making a blanket. There are many opportunities to do this you just need to let us know.

 

 


E-MAIL ADDRESSES


We are now communicating by email and hope that we have all your addresses.  I have a list of those that don’t use the computer and will continue to mail out the newsletter to you. If you know of someone who hasn’t received the notices sent out by Helen McConnell, please let Ellen know and we will add this to our list. There are times when we realize that we no longer want to receive different emails. If you find yourself in this situation, no problem, once again let Ellen know and she will see that you are removed from the list. Many thanks to Helen for the good job she does keeping us informed.



“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”  C.S. Lewis

 

 

 

Project Linus Make a Blanket Day

Saturday May 4 10:00 - 2:00


Lutheran Church of the Nativity

2425 Hendersonville Rd

Arden, NC


Join in the rewarding experience of making blankets for

children who need that “ blanket hug”.


Fleece will be provided for those who like to work with that

medium.


Knitters and crocheters bring your own projects to work on.

Quilters bring your sewing machines, kits will be provided.


Lunch will be provided


If you have any questions, call Ellen @ (828) 645-8800

Let us know if you plan to bring a sewing machine.




 BLANKET DROP-OFF SITES


Asheville:

  JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store

  80 S Tunnel Road

Asheville Cotton Company

1378 Hendersonville Road STE B

 

Hendersonville:

   Grace Lutheran Church

   1245 Sixth Avenue West

   JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store

   Blue Ridge Mall Shopping Center

   

   Sheridan Kay Quilting

  1680 Spartanburg Highway

  Weaverville:

   5 Little Monkeys Quilt and Sew

   32 North Main Street


           

 

FIRST QUARTER STATISTICS

                              

                             In          Out

January                  250      301

February               529       411

March                    389      419

TOTAL:                 1174    1131

With these numbers our chapter has now distributed 93,344 blankets

 

 

COUNTY CONTACTS

Chapter Coordinator

Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800


Buncombe County

Ennis Julian 702-499-3567

Cherokee, Clay, and Graham Counties

Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800

Haywood County

Mariam Howell 828-456-5154

Henderson County

Vivian Andrews 224-558-4792

Jackson and Macon Counties

Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800

Madison County

Nancy Fish 828-768-1344

McDowell County

 

Mitchell County

Janet Jackson 661-319-8286

Transylvania County

Pat Crawford 828-883-8746

Yancy County 

Vicki Fox     828-680-9167                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       


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