The little boy was stressed and sad. His mom was at an agency seeking help for a domestic violence situation. The grown-ups were trying to help him feel better. They gave him toys to play with and they also gave him a beautiful quilt. When it was time to go, he knew he had to give the toys back. He expected to give the quilt back too. When the grown-ups told him, “No, you get to keep the quilt,” he started crying. He was so happy. With all that had been going on, he got something comforting, something that was all his.
“It’s the stories like that that we love and that inspire us to keep going,” said Rachelle Bryson, coordinator for Project Linus. This group of volunteers gives their time and talent to create beautiful quilts for children experiencing hard times.
Project Linus is a national non-profit that makes quilts as well as crocheted and knitted afghans for kids, newborn to 18 years old. The kids are often in some sort of crisis. Some come from homes that have been destroyed by fire. Others have been placed in foster care or their family is very low-income. Sometimes they are sick.
The organization began in 1995 and has chapters in every state. The local chapter was started in 2007 by Teresa Yocom. “She was phenomenal, her whole home became a warehouse,” laughs Bryson.
The local chapter covers Lewis, Pacific, Cowlitz and Grays Harbor Counties. “We have about 25 organizations that we deliver to on a somewhat regular basis,” explains Bryson. Popes Kid’s Place, Human Response Network and the hospitals receive blankets regularly. Other places receive quilts once or twice a year, such as Centralia College’s Family Development programs.
“Volunteers make four different sizes of blankets – babies, toddlers, children and teenagers,” says Bryson. The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month at the Napavine Assembly of God, from 10:00 a.m. until about 2:00 p.m. They bring sack lunches and sewing machines.
“We like doing it,” explains Bryson. “The people like to sew and like to give to others. Some people like to sew tops, some ‘sandwich’ the material, others tie together or machine quilt, some like to put binding on. We each help by doing what we like.”
Some of the designs are very simple. Others are quite elaborate. They try to stay away from holiday themes so that blankets can be used all year long. Quilt fabric is 100 percent cotton, fleece, flannel or something called “minky” that is plush and cuddly. Designs on the fabric are age-appropriate. “We have quite a bit of fabric stored at the church and also in my garage,” says Bryson. “People donate fabric. We rarely have to buy any. A company called The Warm Company donates a lot of the batting that goes into the quilt, so we are very grateful to them. They have been very generous to us.”
Bryson also reports that they often receive donations from people who are no longer sewing, or are downsizing. The volunteers go through the fabric, sort it and store it. Most of the volunteers live in Centralia, Chehalis or Rochester, while a few come all the way from Olympia. “Three ladies deliver the quilts out to Aberdeen, Raymond and Longview three or four times a year,” Bryson beams, estimating there are about 20 volunteers in the group. “There is also a group of women who meet twice a month, like a sub-group under our umbrella. They distribute their blankets to local Morton groups and we just provide the ‘Project Linus’ labels that go on every blanket.”
“We are always looking for volunteers and would love to have new people come,” invites Bryson. “You don’t have to know much about quilting. Everyone would be happy to help you learn. It would really be nice to get some younger people in to it to help it continue.”
The group also does some fundraising, with a minimum requirement from the national office to raise at least $500 each year. Often times they will raffle off some of the finer quilts, “which are more adult-appreciated,” Bryson says.
This past year the group made 848 quilts. They have made over 6,000 quilts in the past ten years. Nationally, all the chapters have made over 6 million quilts since the organization’s inception. “That’s a lot of kids that have been blessed,” smiles Bryson.
If you are interested in helping out in any way, donating material or creating blankets that will be well-loved by a child, call Rachelle Bryson at 360-736-2347 or email her at rbryson64@comcast.net.
