New River Valley Project Linus

Welcome to the home page of New River Valley (Virginia) Home Page!

Mark your calendars - September 27th, 2008 is the next Blanket Day!

Blanket Day will be held at Grove United Methodist Church, 1020 Tyler Ave, Radford, VA from 9 AM - 3 PM. Material and other supplies are provided. Refreshments will be served. Feel free to bring your own sewing machine although machines will be provided. When turning in blankets, please make sure all pins are removed and your name and address is affixed to your blankets (mailing labels work great!) See you there!

A big thank you to the students at Fort Chiswell High School in Max Meadows for making and donating 12 lovely fleece blankets. They are students of Mrs. Patty Younger's Art Class. Thanks for your generosity and talent!

THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN BLANKET DAY, June 14, 2008!. PICTURES ARE POSTED ON THE NEWS LINK. A total of 59 people attended and a total of 270 blankets were made/collected. A special thank you to the TAG members (Teens at Grace) who were a great help in transporting all the supplies to the church, setting up tables and then helping with clean up. Blanket Day could not have happened without you!

New River Valley Project Linus Blanket totals (revised 7/08) : Total blankets donated since June 2000 - 11,982. For the period of April - June 2008 645 blankets were made. and 504 blankets were distributed to needy children. AWESOME WORK!

Drop off points - If you have completed blankets but can not make it to Blanket Day, you can drop off blankets at the following locations: (Please be sure that blankets are labeled with your information.) Jo-Anne Fabrics, Christiansburg, Coffee Buy the Book, 10 W. Main St. Pulaski, VA . The owner is Tracey Harriman -Phone # 980-4424.

Sign up for the National Project Linus Newsletter, the Blanket Beacon. Go to www.projectlinus.org and click on the Newsletter link. Once you sign up, you will automatically receive the quarterly newsletter. (We are no longer distributing a local version of a newsletter and the one from Project Linus contains such wonderful information that we could never replicate.)

Here is a thank you note from a local resource: Dear Penny, On behalf of New River Valley Surgery Center, I would like to offer our sincere appreciation for the blankets that your organization provides for our pediatric patients. The children love them, and even some of the parents have commented on how they make their children’s recuperation so much more comfortable. These blankets are a kind, generous and loving act, genuinely appreciated by all. Thank you again from the entire staff and administration of the Surgery Center. Sincerely,
Stacy Barton
Business Office Manager
New River Valley Surgery Center
2901 Lamb Circle, Christiansburg, VA 24073-6347

Here is a note from Teresa Dickens, at Radford University: For the last three years, Radford University students have been volunteering their time making blankets for Project Linus. Approximately 60 students from RU clubs and organizations, as well as staff, attend the blanket workshops held at Grove Methodist United Church twice a year. This is one of the community projects that students enjoy the most, once they have finished the project they have something very tangible to give back, especially since the blankets go to seriously ill children. Students attached their names and address on the blankets they make, and in several occasions they have received a thank you note from the recipient’s family letting them know their gratitude. In March 2007, a group of RU students raised $295.00 on behalf of Project Linus by participating in the 5K Run/1M Walk for Charity, a fundraiser for local charities. I believe this speaks of the dedication our students have for this organization.
Teresa Dickens
Assistant Director & Career Counselor
Coordinator Liaison to College of Health & Human Services
and College of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences
Experiential Learning & Career Services
Walker Hall, Suite 279
Radford University

Here is another letter received by NRV Project Linus:

Infant & Toddler Connection of the New River Valley

Department of Special Education

Radford, VA 24142

July 15, 2008

Penny Sweet
Project Linus Coordinator
202 Arnold Ave
Radford, VA 24141

RE: Project Linus blankets

Dear Penny:

Thank you for donating to Infant & Toddler Connection. The Infant and Toddler Connection serves children ages birth to three in the New River Valley of Virginia. We work with families with children that have a developmental delay or medical diagnoses that have a high probability of delay. Some of the families we work with have babies born prematurely that have spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, babies with medical conditions such as Down Syndrome, babies living under the poverty line, babies that live at Cornerstone Women/Family Shelter, babies born exposed to controlled substances, babies undergoing chemotherapy and a multitude of other risk factors.

As part of our program, we do home visits to support families working with their children in their natural environment. Recently we have added the wonderful element of providing them with a Project Linus blanket during their intake visit. It seems to add a personal and friendly touch to what might otherwise be a daunting and confusing experience.

Penny, we are thankful that you are thoughtful enough to provide this service to our community. Your program has touched so many lives in a positive way. I am sure that you already recognize that the benefits of Project Linus are not just about receiving. The individuals who have crafted these beautiful blankets and the acknowledgement that these children matter in their community are very much appreciated. Thank you for including us in your project and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Katie Newman

Temporary Service Coordinator

Here are some suggested websites for purchasing fabric. These suggestions came from Donna Aten from the Boise, Idaho chapter. Great place for bargain fabrics - www.fabric.com
Also www.fabricdepot.com - fabric bought online is always 30% off and they often have 40% off sales. They have wonderful customer service. They didn't have as much of one fabric as I had ordered. They called to tell me that. When I told her the fabric was for Project Linus, she went out to the floor and found some kid fabric, called me back to describe the fabric and
sold it to me at a discount. That's service!! If you're ever in the Portland, Oregon area - don't miss going to Fabric Depot. It's wonderful - like being in a candy/toy store for kids! This store is heaven for
quilters!!!! Also trywww.marshalldrygoods.com Really good prices.

Donna Aten, Project Linus Coordinator
Boise/SW Idaho/E Oregon Chapter
Website: www.LinusIdaho.org
E-mail: donna@LinusIdaho.org

New drop off point for blankets! -Joanne's Fabrics in Christiansburg is now a drop off point of completed Project Linus Blankets. Please make sure that you attach a note to the blankets containing your name and address. JoAnn's is also a drop off point for sewing machine repair by Pence's Sewing Center. You can drop off your machine, you will be called with an estimate and when the machine is repaired, you can pick it up at JoAnne's. Call Pence's Sewing Center, 304.327.8414 (Bluefield) if you have any questions.

If you would like to sign up for the New River Valley Project Linus e-mail notifications of upcoming events such as Blanket Days, special sale offers, etc. please click here.

DONATIONS REQUESTED: Remember, Project Linus will take donations of appropriate material, yard and batting. Also, cash donations are greatly appreciated. All of the material is purchased or donated. Donations can be made to honor someone's birthday, anniversary, holidays, etcetera. If you do this, an acknowledgment of the donation will be sent at your request. Please contact Penny Sweet for more information.

Facts about Project Linus.....

Project Linus was born on December 24, 1995
Project Linus has been in business for 3742 days as of June 23, 2006.
Project Linus has donated 1,728,621 blankets as of June 23, 2006. If 60% of them are fabric, that translates into about 3,111,518 yards of fabric. If 40% are afghans, this is about 5,531,587 skeins of yarn.
If each blanket is an average of 60" long, and we laid them end to end, they would stretch 8,643,105 feet or 1637 miles. We could hang a clothes line from Bloomington to Phoenix, Arizona, or all the way across the Great Wall of China and halfway back. It's as far as climbing Mt. McKinley 426 times.
Project Linus delivers an average of 1047 blankets per day, 365 days per year. That's up 108 blankets PER DAY from this time last year. That means that about 44 blankets are delivered every hour of every day, or about 1 every 1.3 minutes.
As of June 24, 2005, Project Linus has 385 chapters in the United States. There are chapters in all 50 states.
On average, we estimate a volunteer force of about 35,000 people in the United States.
If Project Linus Chapter Coordinators and headquarters staff were paid minimum wage at only 10-15 hours per week, the annual payroll would be over $2,150,000.00.
There are 29 states represented at Conference 2006.

Local Proud Supporters of NRV Project Linus:

WELCOME OUR NEW SPONSOR!

Fancy Gap Outlet, 350 Pottery Dr. Fancy Gap, VA 24328 276-728-9524 Exit 8 off I 77. You can get great deals on cotton fabric. Thanks for your support of Project Linus. If you find yourself down there, make sure to let them know you are buying fabric for Project Linus.

NRV Project Linus is proud to introduce our newest sponsor: Sew Sophisticated (www.sewsophisticated.com ) located in Blacksburg, VA. This company offers custom made accessories for you and your baby. Each item is individually designed and handmade. They feature coordinating nursing covers and burp cloths. Mama & Me matching purses for you and your child, as well as diaper bags, hooded towels, and loveys. Monograming is available to personalize your items. Please visit their website for more information.

Sew Biz, 92 & 94 Harvey St. Radford, VA 540-639-1138

Nancy's Beauty Shop, 706 Forest Ave. Radford, VA 540-633-2105 Purses made by Penny Sweet for Project Linus are also being sold at Nancy's!

Michele & Co. Hair Salon, 700 B 1st St., Radford, VA 540-633-2987

School House Fabrics, 220 N. Locust St., Floyd, VA 540-745-4561

Encore, The yarn department called Unraveled, encourages its customers to make blankets for Project Linus. Email: encore@ntelos.net
Address: 1129 East Main Street Suite A, Radford VA 24141
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10a.m. - 7p.m. Sunday: Noon - 4 p.m.

Visit the National Web site for Project Linus www.projectlinus.org