Third Quarter Newsletter 2016
CHAPTER COORDINATOR’S MESSAGE
Fall has arrived according to the calendar, mother nature seems to be a little behind the times. However, soon we will be enjoying some cooler mountain air and it will be more comfortable to have that yarn blanket laying across your lap as you knit or crochet. I just started my first quilting class at AB Tech and can now understand the excitement that you quilters feel as your work of art come to life.
We have added a number of new facilities to our donation list and look forward to having each of you continue with your generous donations of blankets so that Project Linus can continue to take care of the needs of every child.
This will be the only newsletter that you will receive before the holidays, so I want to wish each of you the most peaceful and loving holiday season.
Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
A CHANGE OF THE GUARD
At the National level, Project Linus has been led by Carol Babbitt for 15 years and her husband, Kirk has been a member of the board of directors during this period of time. They made the decision that it was time to retire and the search for a replacement was started in the spring. It is with relief and delight that I can let you know that someone stepped up to the plate and as of August we have a new leader. Patty Gregory, a chapter coordinator from Kansas City has taken over this huge responsibility. The move is official and our National Office is now located in Belton, MO. Everything had to be transferred from Bloomington, IL so you can imagine what a major event this has been. The National Store was closed during this period, but soon everything will be back in order. Many things you can order by going on line, but if you find that you wish something that only the coordinator can purchase let me know and I will be happy to get it for you.
JOHNSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
You should be especially pleased to know that your blanket donations allowed us to bring comfort in the midst of a terrible tragedy. I know that the horrific murder of a precious six year old in our Buncombe County community weighs heavy on the hearts of all. I want you to know that I was able to take blankets to each of the classmates of little Lila. As I explained to the counselor this isn't a blanket for warmth but a hug when a child needs it the most. When I first called and made the offer they were rather apprehensive as they weren't aware of Project Linus. Once I arrived with all the blankets they were delighted.
OPERATION PURPLE CAMP
Connie and Herb Stanfield have discovered a new opportunity for us to help support our military families and it is right here in our WNC neighborhood. Camp Purple is a weeklong camp for military children 7-16 to come together to connect with other kids just like them. These are children who have parents deployed, returning home injured, or perhaps not returning at all. There are over 20 of these camps located across the country and there is one in Hendersonville at Camp Kanuga. There will be two sessions of camp in the summer of 2017 and I have offered to make sure that each of the 200 campers receive a special blanket "hug". I am mentioning this now so that you can start planning your blankets. We found that in the past when we worked with Camp Corral (who had the same mission) that the kids didn't get as excited over the plan red, white and blue blankets as they did the cameo, patterned fleece, sports themes, quilted ones, well you get the idea.... they are just regular kids. We will be putting these blankets aside as we receive them, but we don't want to neglect all of the many other obligations that we have.
If you are wondering about the name, Camp Purple. Purple is the perfect mix of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine Corps red and Navy blue. We will be bringing you additional information in future newsletters, but this is to whet your appetite and encourage you to start thinking about that special blanket for military children.
BOOKS FOR GOOD
You can help support our Project Linus chapter by shopping at Books for Good, this wonderful used book store is located at 50 Heritage Park Drive in Fletcher. You can also donate your gently used books that are still in good condition, and when you drop them off make sure that you let them know it is for Project Linus. They do not accept encyclopedias or Readers Digest condensed books. Those that sale especially well are Bibles, books on history, cars, crafts (especially quilting) and DVD'S. A percentage of the sale of these books comes back to our chapter. They have been in business just over two years and we have received over $1,200.00. Due to your generosity this is the money that keeps us going. Their hours are Monday-Friday 12:00-5 PM and Saturday 10:00-2:00. Their prices are very low, but Thanksgiving weekend they have a huge sale where you can pick up books for next to nothing. HAPPY READING!!!!!
60,000
We are quickly approaching the magic number of 60,000 blanket hugs given out. You will see at the end of this newsletter that we only need 784 to reach that goal. I wouldn't be surprised that by our next newsletter we will see that number. I am counting on each of you to help us out. With cold weather eventually approaching we will need even more blankets to fill our requests.
If you would like to be on our email list, send your request to Helen McConnell at:
jhmcconnell@bellsouth.net
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"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
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)
THIRD QUARTER STATISTICS
In Out
July 277 223
August 297 198
September 354 478
3rd Quarter Totals: 928 899
With these latest numbers. Our local chapter has now distributed 59,216 blankets!
Number of knitted dolls donated and distributed
this quarter: 215
Weighted blankets donated to date: 820
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
Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800
Mitchell County Contact
Ellen Knoefel 828-645-8800
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