By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Charlie Brown had his iconic shirt, Pigpen had his dirt, and Linus always had his blanket. That's how Project Linus got its name. Since 1995, the organization has donated more than nine million handmade quilts and blankets to children in need or crisis. Julia Needham-Pentz donated blankets near her former home in Topeka. With a recent move to central Kansas, she discovered a need for blankets here as well. Now in Macksville, Needham-Pentz is the chapter coordinator for Project Linus in Barton, Pawnee, Stafford, and Pratt counties.
"When I got talking to the Pratt hospital, I realized there was such a great need in this area, and there was no coordinator," she said. "So I contacted the head office in the Kansas City area."
Project Linus, based in Belton, Mo., has chapters in all 50 states. In 1995, Parade Magazine ran a story about a three-year-old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia. She always carried her "blankie" to chemotherapy treatments. That prompted Karen Loucks, a thousand miles away, to start Project Linus.
"A lady decided in Denver she was going to start making blankets for the cancer center in Denver," Needham-Pentz said. "That is how Linus Project got started."
The local chapter is just a few weeks old, but Needham-Pentz has already recruited 13 members and other volunteers. Working daily, she alone has made 30 blankets since the first of the year. Blankets donated to the project must be handmade in one of five manners: quilting, crocheting, knit, tied fleece, or fleece with crochet around the edge. Materials used must be new, washable, and free of contaminants like mold, mildew, or smoke.
"We prefer them to be new, handmade," Needham-Pentz said. "What is better than a kid getting a homemade blanket that is made with love, and to see the smile on their face?"
Blankets are made for ages 0-18 and given to area hospitals, crisis centers, cancer centers, pediatric units, emergency rooms, and social services for distribution. Needham-Pentz recalls after the Greensburg tornado, the Red Cross contacted Project Linus for 100 blankets. The organization had them rounded up by the next day.
The new chapter is always looking for new members, and donations of clean material or money is always welcome. Being new to the area with a new organization, Needham-Pentz is also looking for available space to host meetings. Anyone willing to donate blankets, materials, or join Project Linus, can email Needham-Pentz at [email protected].