Project Linus has 13 more blankets thanks to Maple Crest volunteers
Bluffton's Maple Crest Senior Living Community's crochet-knit circle handed over some of their creations to a good cause earlier this month.
On March 2 members of the group handed 13 crocheted and knitted baby blankets to Project Linus representative Jane Ebersole, coordinator of the Project Linus Findlay Chapter.
Volunteer Kimberly Hansen handed over to Ebersole, as Hansen has been the leader of the Maple Crest crochet-knit circle, working hands-on with Maple Crest residents Annie Balmer, Betty Engle and Mary Huffer on these blankets and other projects.
Community friends, Margie Marquart and Trudy Baber were also instrumental in finishing off partially completed blankets, and Margie was present for the special moment.
Ebersole said that Project Linus began in 1995 when Karen Loucks-Baker was inspired by a news story of a little girl getting through her chemotherapy treatments with her security blanket.
Loucks-Baker felt she could make a difference by making blankets for other children in need. She christened the project for the blanket-toting character from the "Peanuts" comic strip, with permission from Charles Shultz.
Since then, the project has expanded to include blankets for children who are seriously ill or traumatized in various ways, both in the United States and overseas. Over 4 million have been distributed, with 4,633 blankets from the Findlay Chapter alone.
Ebersole said that church women's groups, knitting and sewing clubs, school groups, and individuals have responded to the need, and the outpouring of love through a constant supply of blankets amazes her.
"We've hardly ever been blanket less!" Ebersole said. "With no dues, deadlines or meetings, it's a perfect project for busy women who still want to knit or sew in their free moments and make a difference in the world."
Tears choked Ebersole's words as she shared one real example of "making a difference" - blankets from Findlay were sent to an Afghan refugee camp where children were sleeping between plastic tarps with no other covering.
To learn more about the "Project Linus" Chapter nearest you: www.projectlinus.org.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Friday, August 1, 2025
Thursday, July 31, 2025
- Bluffton University names Dr. J. Alexander Sider as next President
- GLP-1s and weight loss: Impact on muscles
- Check out August 2025 at Bluffton Public Library
- Discovery Days prize drawing results, check your tickets
- Wesley “Wes” Allen Leightner worked for Phillips
- How floundering Cards should deal at deadline
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
- Letter: BOHS work night at the Depot, July 30
- County park district considers name change, invites feedback
- Teen vaccine clinic at Bluffton Middle School, August 18
- State of Ohio expands commercial truck parking at US 30 rest areas
- National Night Out celebration is August 5
- Bluffton council hears neighbor concerns about proposed school practice field
- GROB Systems to host 5-AXIS LIVE! with 21 industry partners on Aug. 5