Humboldt County
Historical Association
PO Box 162
Humboldt, Iowa
50548
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THE LINUS PROJECT
Program given by Betty
Burkhart
for HCHA meeting May 5, 2008
Project Linus is a non-profit organization with a two-fold
mission:
First, to provide love, a
sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill,
traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade
blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers."
Second, to provide a
rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and
groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.
Project Linus was born on
Christmas eve, 1995, when 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. Project Linus was born.
Project Linus is named
after Charles Schulz's Peanut's strip cartoon icon. LInus was a friend
of Charles Schulz who was born and raised in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. The
friend's name was Linus Maurer, whose sister was a patient of our son's
several years ago. She was very proud to be Linus's sister, as she would
remind our son of the fact about every time she saw him.
Maurer, for most of his
adult life, has felt the impact of being a cartoon icon, and it doesn't
take much of an imagination to see him as a walking, talking Peanuts
prototype. "I feel honored that Schulz used my name in his strip,"
Maurer says. "I can't imagine what my life would of been like if the
cartoon Linus never existed. I think we have a lot in common. We're both
philosophical and level-headed.
But does the real Linus
have a security blanket? "No, but I do keep a lot of sweaters and
jackets in the trunk of my car," Maurer says.
There are thousands of
stories and thank-you's from children and parents that received these
blankets. I had the privilege to attend two "Blanket Bees" in Fountain
Hills, AZ in 2007 and 2008. The first one I attended took in or finished
307blankets, and the one in January of this year took in 437.
According to the records
of December 31, 2007, Project LInus has grown to 40t chapters and has
donated 2,293,340 blankets to children from newborn to 18 years.
Volunteers, known as
"blanketeers," provide new, handmade washable blankets to be given as
gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18. It is
Project Linus' policy to accept blankets of all sizes, depending on
local chapter needs. All styles of blankets are welcome, including
quilts, tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans,
and receiving blankets in child-friendly colors. The blankets must be
homemade, washable, free of pins, and come from smoke-free environments
due to allergy reasons.
If anyone would like to
make a blanket, the Faith Knitters & Crocheters group in Humboldt would
be happy to get it sent to the right place. This group also makes and
donates a number of items each year to several organizations. They have
sent items all over the world. This group meets the second Thursday of
each month, except December, at 9:00 a.m. at the Faith United Methodist
Church, 311 1st Ave North, Humboldt. They always welcome guests.