How Project Linus was started:
On Christmas Eve, 1995, an article titled “Joy to the World” appeared in Parade Magazine. It was written by Pulitzer Prize winning photo-journalist, Eddie Adams. Part of the article featured a petite, downy haired child. She had been going through intensive chemotherapy and stated that her security blanket helped her get through the treatments. After reading the article, Karen Loucks decided to provide homemade security blankets to Denver’s Rocky Mountain Children’s Cancer Center, and Project Linus was born.
Over three million quilts and blankets have been distributed so far by the organization. As a long time quilter and volunteer at a local crisis pregnancy center, this project seemed an ideal charity for me to help with so when I came across an ad in the Benbrook News asking for volunteers at the local Project Linus Chapter, I headed to the First Baptist Church in Benbrook and joined women of varied ages put together quilts that had already been pieced. After three hours of cutting, sewing, and tacking, we had amassed nearly 20 quilts to give away to local hospitals. No experience is needed to help out and two young boys came with their mother, and armed with scissors, worked on 13 of the quilts, cutting thread and tying knots.
There are many quilt patterns available on the Project Linus Site.
