Recently, I was contacted by a Counselor in the Biddeford area who was working with 3 little boys who had been removed by the State as they were in an abusive situation - 9 months, 4 years and 8 years. I asked her if she had another children who would benefit from a blanket. She said she had 2 teen age girls.
I had an opportunity to speak with her after the children had received the blankets. She said they were all pleased. In fact, one of the girls cried as she had never had anything like this before.
This is why we make blankets.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
"Thank you" note
A note from the Grandmother of 2 children who lost their Mother.
Dear all-
Thank you so much for the two quilts given to T's children, C and N. Such a special and thoughtful gesture and gift. Their Grandmother P
Dear all-
Thank you so much for the two quilts given to T's children, C and N. Such a special and thoughtful gesture and gift. Their Grandmother P
Friday, April 20, 2012
Blanket Day South Portland 4-20-2012
We had a terrific day at South Portland Community Center making quilts, sewing on labels and cutting kits for other days. A very special thank you to all of you who worked so hard to make this all happen so smoothly and a special welcome to the new volunteers. We had 19 participants! Wow. In fact, we labeled around 100 blankets. Well done. Thank you.
Friday, April 13, 2012
NIMBLE THIMBLES QUILT SHOW OCTOBER 13TH
Time to enjoy the fall foligage on your way to Gorham for the Nimble Thimbles Quilt Show on Saturday, October 13. This will be help at the First Parish Congregational Church, 1 Church St., Gorham.
It's expected that there will be over 100 quilts from their members on display, vendors and light food items.
It's expected that there will be over 100 quilts from their members on display, vendors and light food items.
Two more "thank you" notes
I know I said a quick thank you last week but I do want you to know how much I appreciated the sweet Project Linus blanket for Kevin.
They are made to comfort and to heal and that's what Sarah, Kevin and I needed.
Your group(s) do such good work. Love, M
Thank you so much for the beautiful blanket. Mia loves it and calls it her "Special" blanket. It really means so much, especially, during this sad time, Thank you!, K
They are made to comfort and to heal and that's what Sarah, Kevin and I needed.
Your group(s) do such good work. Love, M
Thank you so much for the beautiful blanket. Mia loves it and calls it her "Special" blanket. It really means so much, especially, during this sad time, Thank you!, K
Sunday, March 25, 2012
NEW "THANK YOU" NOTE
Thank you for all the new blankets! This morning I just delivered one of the "pink fleece" to a 6 year old girl who has just moved with her mother from living in their car to a subsidized apartment- she was thrilled and when I left her she was curled up in her blanket. She is a sweet girl who has been through a great deal. I delivered another fleece blanket to a teenager in Boston Children's suffering from a serious head injury. He is still in the ICU but the parents will keep his feet warm with his blanket as they sit by his bed.
Dotty
COMBINED CHAPTERS - CUMBERLAND & YORK
Effective immediately, we are expanding the Cumberland County Chapter to include the York County responsibilities. Our combined name will be PROJECT LINUS CUMBERLAND & YORK COUNTY, ME CHAPTER.
York County drop-off locations are Tony’s Sewing Machine in Biddeford and Marden’s in Sanford. York County additions are Sweester-Family Focus, SMMC, Waban Projects, York County Domestic Violence and Goodall Hospital, at present.
The address for our site has been changed to: http://projectlinuscumberland-yorkchapters.blogspot.com. Be sure to add this to your Favorites. This is your go-to site for suggested sizes, recipients and up to date information.
We also are now on Facebook as Project Linus Cumberland & York County. There have been a few growing pains and I apologize for any inconvenience. I understand that many of you have received 3 requests to join Facebook. Sorry, I thought I had sent 588 requests but somehow only 206 got sent. I’ve got to figure this out. However, sign up on Facebook as I’ll be posting frequently and you’ll be able to see pictures of events, thank you notes, and other info. So, please bear with me as I’m learning.
I’ll continue to do a short newsletter and will mail to those without computer access. However, if you have questions, please contact me at 284-5606.
With sincere thanks to Julie Baker for her dedication and hard work as the York County Coordinator. You’ve put a smile on the face of many children. A job well done.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DAY - MARDEN'S
What a terrific day it was! Collected 60 blankets (a bonus as I didn't expect any) and generally had a wonderfull time.
Many thanks for Craig and Crystal and their staff for everything! It was truly lovely. And a special thanks to Cassie Moon for doing the Disappearing 4 patch demonstrations, Charlene Gerrish as "Lucky" and Mim Pepper for her help.
Many thanks for Craig and Crystal and their staff for everything! It was truly lovely. And a special thanks to Cassie Moon for doing the Disappearing 4 patch demonstrations, Charlene Gerrish as "Lucky" and Mim Pepper for her help.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
SIZES OF QUILTS AND BLANKETS NEEDED
Our Current Area Needs
Questions have come up about current sizes of quilts and blankets needed. I've tweaked the sizes a bit as our population keeps changing, however, if you're unsure, call me at 284-5606 with any questions.
New, handmade and washable quilts, blankets, afghans and fleece blankets in child friendly colors. Often, patterns will decide what age group will receive the blankets. Such as a baby pattern, even if large size, will go to a toddler.
Knit or crochet blankets should be made of washable, non-wool yarn and closely woven so they don't get caught or tangled in hospital equipment.
Questions have come up about current sizes of quilts and blankets needed. I've tweaked the sizes a bit as our population keeps changing, however, if you're unsure, call me at 284-5606 with any questions.
New, handmade and washable quilts, blankets, afghans and fleece blankets in child friendly colors. Often, patterns will decide what age group will receive the blankets. Such as a baby pattern, even if large size, will go to a toddler.
Knit or crochet blankets should be made of washable, non-wool yarn and closely woven so they don't get caught or tangled in hospital equipment.
Suggested sizes:
Small (infants to toddlers) = 36 X 42
Medium to young teens = 40 X 54 - 60
Large (teens*) = 2 yards or 48 X 65 or larger
*There is always a special need for blankets designed for boys and teens.
Joann Fabric VIP Non-Profit Volunteer Discount Cards
Joann Fabric is offering a 10% discount for volunteers of non-profit organizations and Project Linus is pleased to be able to take advantage of this great discount.
To order your card, sign up at www.joann.com/discountform or call 1-877-604-2280. You'll also need to have a Project Linus Volunteer card which you can get from me.
An opportunity you shouldn't miss.
To order your card, sign up at www.joann.com/discountform or call 1-877-604-2280. You'll also need to have a Project Linus Volunteer card which you can get from me.
An opportunity you shouldn't miss.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
BLANKET DAY CAPE ELIZABETH, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2012
We've received a gracious invitation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cape Elizabeth to join them for a Blanket Day on Saturday February 4. Hours are 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.
We're needing to help replenish our supply of new, unwashed flannel. We'll have a drawing for a gift basket and gift certificate for those who bring 2 yards of new, unwashed flannel. I could use colors and patterns for 5 to 8 year olds.
Please contact me at 284-5606 for more information and to reserve your spot.
I hope to see you then.
Melodie
Monday, January 16, 2012
CHICKADEE BLANKET DAY IN BRIDGTON, SATURDAY JANUARY 14
Many thanks to the Chickadee Quilters for their wonderful Blanket Day on Saturday. There were a total of 30 individuals there, including some not affliated with the group. With just a heart for the Project Linus program. Thanks to everyone. When I left, I had 26 blankets and there are many more being finished.
Thanks so much. You will have made many children a little happier.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Portland's Trauma Intervention Program (TIP)
Trauma Intervention Program comforts victims, families
Dec 31, 2011 12:00 am
Sgt. Bob Doherty and Portland’s Trauma Intervention Program are fans of one another. Last April, Doherty was the recipient of a Hero with Heart award, for caring and compassion on the scene. And Doherty feels “TIP allows police to provide better service.”
He didn’t always feel that way about TIP, a program comprised of trained citizen volunteers who provide support to victims and their families immediately following tragic events.
But after using the volunteers a couple of times, he became a proponent of the program. Doherty’s initial feeling was “they might get in the way,” when first told about TIP. That is not the case, however.
“We turn people over to them,” he says. “It’s comforting to know that people who have experienced trauma are in the good hands of a TIP volunteer.”
On one occasion, Doherty made use of TIP when he and another officer had to go to the home of a man in his 30s to deliver the news that the man’s mother had died. “Shock was evident,” said Doherty, when the man was confronted by two uniformed police officers who delivered the tragic message. “The worst part of my job is delivering bad news.”
Doherty called TIP to request that one of their volunteers come to the location to stay with the man for a while. He said, “They bring a high level of sympathy and empathy,” and added, “TIP allows me to leave that person better than I found them.”
Community Counseling Center at 165 Lancaster St. is the home base for TIP’s operation. Leslie Skillin-Calder is the Crisis Team Manager, whose job entails recruitment, training, assisting with marketing, and overseeing of volunteers, while remaining an active volunteer.
There are currently 30 volunteers under her jurisdiction, and she’d love to have another 10 added to that number because then there could be two people available for each shift.
Skillin-Calder was in TIP’s first training class seven years ago and has volunteered for four and a half years. She says “Always expect the unexpected.” The scenes the volunteers are called to are secure and safe prior to TIP’s arrival. Volunteers are not in any situation where they have to witness the initial moments of a horrible event.
The volunteers are caring people who form a team of citizen volunteers called to scenes of fires, automobile accidents, traumatic injuries and unexpected deaths, by emergency-response personnel. They are available within 20 minutes to first responders, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They help people during their most difficult moments, so that victims of tragedy don’t have to face a crisis alone.
Before someone is left by the TIP volunteer, information is given to them. Brochures are left containing community resource guides that may be called upon in the future.
Volunteers commit to serving for three 12-hour shifts per month. A pager is carried and when the person is needed, a TIP dispatcher calls, who is also a volunteer serving in this capacity. This mimics the first-responder system. There is a choice of day or night shifts, with 60 shifts to choose from, which start at seven o’clock.
Because of the need for a 20-minute response time, some people who live farther away stay with a relative in or near Portland for those shifts that they’re on call.
Twenty-nine-year-old Chad Nicholson moved here from California and works for a law firm that handles environmental issues. After seeing an article about a man who was a TIP volunteer at the age of 90, he decided that was something for him to become involved with. “My day job is flexible,” says Nicholson, so he has done both day and night shifts during his yearlong work with TIP.
His training consisted of 40 hours of classroom training (two weeks) and three months paired with a mentor, including going on police ride-alongs.
He has experienced “sadness,” but nothing that has affected him adversely. He’s been awakened at 1 a.m. for an incident, and at 4:30 a.m. to go to the scene of an unattended death.
“Police may also call for you to meet them at the hospital, and you get the perspective from the police department. Then you become the liaison between police and family.”
One of Nicholson’s calls involved responding to a car accident where a child needed support while the parent was being treated. Volunteers wear TIP vests and carry a bag when answering calls. The toys in the TIP bag can be a very useful tool in many situations. Some of the things it contains are soft tissues, a “Linus Program” blanket, stuffed animals, coloring books, water, and brochures.
Both Nicholson and Skillin-Calder talk about “trying to go in as empty as possible,” allowing them to be a support for a person, whatever the situation may be.
Nicholson stated “I explain to the person (after arriving at the scene) that the police or the hospital has called for me to be with you.” He says he’ll touch the person’s shoulder or make eye contact when that seems appropriate. He said that sometimes a call may start out at a person’s home, but you’ll end up at the hospital with that person.
Maine Medical Center is one of TIP’s primary clients, along with the Portland police and fire departments.
Volunteers have a strong desire to help and to serve and there is a strong bond between them. There has been an astounding age range in volunteers. A 17-year-old girl has just completed her training after attending a TIP open house and deciding to become involved. She won’t be allowed to go out on calls alone until she reaches the age of 21, so she’ll always have someone else with her.
The gentleman that attracted Chad Nicholson’s attention in a news article recently retired at 91. He had become a volunteer at age 87.
There is a lot of interaction between volunteers, involving feedback and fellowship. Nicholson said “There’s a lot of support and things that re-energize me. It’s almost a familiar feel of being fulfilled, rather than being tapped-out.” He added “I’m surprised at the variety of backgrounds of the people involved, which is one of the program’s strengths.” His enthusiasm for the program has resulted in his bringing a couple of new volunteers to the group.
He didn’t always feel that way about TIP, a program comprised of trained citizen volunteers who provide support to victims and their families immediately following tragic events.
But after using the volunteers a couple of times, he became a proponent of the program. Doherty’s initial feeling was “they might get in the way,” when first told about TIP. That is not the case, however.
“We turn people over to them,” he says. “It’s comforting to know that people who have experienced trauma are in the good hands of a TIP volunteer.”
On one occasion, Doherty made use of TIP when he and another officer had to go to the home of a man in his 30s to deliver the news that the man’s mother had died. “Shock was evident,” said Doherty, when the man was confronted by two uniformed police officers who delivered the tragic message. “The worst part of my job is delivering bad news.”
Doherty called TIP to request that one of their volunteers come to the location to stay with the man for a while. He said, “They bring a high level of sympathy and empathy,” and added, “TIP allows me to leave that person better than I found them.”
Community Counseling Center at 165 Lancaster St. is the home base for TIP’s operation. Leslie Skillin-Calder is the Crisis Team Manager, whose job entails recruitment, training, assisting with marketing, and overseeing of volunteers, while remaining an active volunteer.
There are currently 30 volunteers under her jurisdiction, and she’d love to have another 10 added to that number because then there could be two people available for each shift.
Skillin-Calder was in TIP’s first training class seven years ago and has volunteered for four and a half years. She says “Always expect the unexpected.” The scenes the volunteers are called to are secure and safe prior to TIP’s arrival. Volunteers are not in any situation where they have to witness the initial moments of a horrible event.
The volunteers are caring people who form a team of citizen volunteers called to scenes of fires, automobile accidents, traumatic injuries and unexpected deaths, by emergency-response personnel. They are available within 20 minutes to first responders, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They help people during their most difficult moments, so that victims of tragedy don’t have to face a crisis alone.
Before someone is left by the TIP volunteer, information is given to them. Brochures are left containing community resource guides that may be called upon in the future.
Volunteers commit to serving for three 12-hour shifts per month. A pager is carried and when the person is needed, a TIP dispatcher calls, who is also a volunteer serving in this capacity. This mimics the first-responder system. There is a choice of day or night shifts, with 60 shifts to choose from, which start at seven o’clock.
Because of the need for a 20-minute response time, some people who live farther away stay with a relative in or near Portland for those shifts that they’re on call.
Twenty-nine-year-old Chad Nicholson moved here from California and works for a law firm that handles environmental issues. After seeing an article about a man who was a TIP volunteer at the age of 90, he decided that was something for him to become involved with. “My day job is flexible,” says Nicholson, so he has done both day and night shifts during his yearlong work with TIP.
His training consisted of 40 hours of classroom training (two weeks) and three months paired with a mentor, including going on police ride-alongs.
He has experienced “sadness,” but nothing that has affected him adversely. He’s been awakened at 1 a.m. for an incident, and at 4:30 a.m. to go to the scene of an unattended death.
“Police may also call for you to meet them at the hospital, and you get the perspective from the police department. Then you become the liaison between police and family.”
One of Nicholson’s calls involved responding to a car accident where a child needed support while the parent was being treated. Volunteers wear TIP vests and carry a bag when answering calls. The toys in the TIP bag can be a very useful tool in many situations. Some of the things it contains are soft tissues, a “Linus Program” blanket, stuffed animals, coloring books, water, and brochures.
Both Nicholson and Skillin-Calder talk about “trying to go in as empty as possible,” allowing them to be a support for a person, whatever the situation may be.
Nicholson stated “I explain to the person (after arriving at the scene) that the police or the hospital has called for me to be with you.” He says he’ll touch the person’s shoulder or make eye contact when that seems appropriate. He said that sometimes a call may start out at a person’s home, but you’ll end up at the hospital with that person.
Maine Medical Center is one of TIP’s primary clients, along with the Portland police and fire departments.
Volunteers have a strong desire to help and to serve and there is a strong bond between them. There has been an astounding age range in volunteers. A 17-year-old girl has just completed her training after attending a TIP open house and deciding to become involved. She won’t be allowed to go out on calls alone until she reaches the age of 21, so she’ll always have someone else with her.
The gentleman that attracted Chad Nicholson’s attention in a news article recently retired at 91. He had become a volunteer at age 87.
There is a lot of interaction between volunteers, involving feedback and fellowship. Nicholson said “There’s a lot of support and things that re-energize me. It’s almost a familiar feel of being fulfilled, rather than being tapped-out.” He added “I’m surprised at the variety of backgrounds of the people involved, which is one of the program’s strengths.” His enthusiasm for the program has resulted in his bringing a couple of new volunteers to the group.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Total of Blankets Delivered in 2011
The numbers have been totalled and we delivered an amazing 1,371 blankets to Cumberland County hospitals and social service agencies.
The three largest recipients were MMC Barbara Bush Hospital receiving 432 blankets, MMC Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit receiving 240 and Spring Harbor Hospital receiving 264.
You should all be very proud - without each of you we couldn't have done this.
Bless you.
The three largest recipients were MMC Barbara Bush Hospital receiving 432 blankets, MMC Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit receiving 240 and Spring Harbor Hospital receiving 264.
You should all be very proud - without each of you we couldn't have done this.
Bless you.
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