Whether facing a prolonged hospitalization or perhaps removal from an unsafe home, a child in crisis needs to feel a sense of security more than just about anything else.

And while it usually falls to family members, medical professionals and social services workers to fill that need, volunteers in Yolo County have been doing what they can as well, literally in the form of providing security blankets.

Project Linus of Yolo County, named after the iconic blanket-toting “Peanuts” cartoon character, has distributed nearly 1,800 blankets to severely ill or traumatized children since September 2009.

Volunteers have delivered nearly 700 hand-made blankets since January alone.

Even more impressive? The contribution of one 12-year-old girl. Davis resident Eliana Meyer has singlehandedly delivered 100 handmade blankets to the organization in the past seven months.

“It’s just wonderful,” said Project Linus chapter coordinator Diane McGee. “I am overwhelmed by her maturity, her compassion and, at her age, to be thinking outside of herself like that.

“It’s just incredible.”

Meyer was drawn to help Project Linus, she said, “because it’s such a great cause.”

As she was preparing for her bat mitzvah — scheduled for August — she needed to find a community service project, and contacted McGee to see what she could do for Project Linus.

She learned that Project Linus accepts any type of blanket in almost any size, as long as it is new, handmade and washable. They can be quilted, tied, knitted, crocheted or fleece.

“Some are absolutely exquisite, workmanship-wise,” said Eliana’s mom, Deanne Meyer.

But they don’t have to be, Eliana noted.

“It doesn’t have to be hours and hours of work,” she explained. “It can be really simple.”

Eliana herself decided to go with no-sew fleece blankets. She and her mom, DeAnne, purchased all the necessary material and and Eliana began working on them last fall, spending a couple of hours on each blanket.

She spread the word about what she was doing as well, at her synagogue and among friends and family, many of whom contributed handmade blankets to the cause.

And in an act of exceptional generosity for such a young girl, Eliana has asked her bat mitzvah guests to donate blankets or money to Project Linus in lieu of gifts.

Why?

“It’s so important,” she said. “And the more people that contribute, the better.”

Last week, Eliana delivered a big batch of her blankets during Project Linus’ monthly meeting, and it was amazing to see so many beautiful blankets piled up like that, her mom said.

But it’s a little sad, too, she noted, because with so many children in our area in crisis, “they are all needed.”

Even after her bat mitzvah, Eliana plans to continue making blankets for Project Linus and encourages community members to do the same.

Blankets may be delivered to the Project Linus monthly meeting, held the second Wednesday of each month from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Davis Senior Center, 646 St. During the meeting, volunteers sew “Project Linus” labels on each donated blanket.

Although the group accepts blankets in any size, it does have some recommendations based on the ages of recipients: 30-by-30 inches for infants, 40-by-60 inches for children and 50-by-70 inches for teens.

All of the blankets are delivered to agencies that serve children in Yolo County, including the Yolo Crisis Nursery, Yolo County Child Protective Services, FamiliesFirst and the Short-Term Emergency Aid Committee.

For more information on Project Linus, call McGee at (530) 753-3436 or [email protected]

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or (530) 747-8051.

LinusW

Eliana Meyer, center, and Kay Cunningham sew Project Linus labels on some of the dozens of blankets Eliana has made for the local nonprofit organization. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

Comments

comments