Friday, December 20, 2002

DAR chapter teams up with Project Linus

Members of the Augustin Clayton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution have joined other service groups around the United States in supporting Project Linus with unbridled enthusiasm.

Project Linus is a not-for-profit organization which provides new, handmade, and washable blankets to children in distress: victims of abuse, illness, accidents, or the loss of a parent. Founded in 1995, the organization boasts 300 chapters in the United States, 12 or which are in Georgia. The local coordinator is Judy Simpson of Fayetteville.

Simpson was contacted by Lu Sharp, volunteer services chairman of the Augustin Clayton chapter, who offered to enlist the help of chapter members in making blankets. To date, chapter members have made more than two dozen blankets for Project Linus.

Simpson said that she delivered 81 blankets locally in November with the help of police departments, fire departments, and the Department of Family and Children's Services. In the event of a major catastrophe, such as the terrorist attacks in New York, she added, chapters will send blankets to a specific area. Ten thousand blankets were made by chapters around the country and sent to New York following the attacks.

Simpson is willing to speak to local groups about Project Linus to raise awareness about the organization and its goals. She can be contacted at Jagsimpson@prodigy.net. More information about the national organization can be found at www.projectlinus.org.