LOVE, WARMTH BUNDLED IN BLANKETS FOR CHILDREN CROCHETERS, KNITTERS MAKE 1,000TH GIFT.Byline: CONNIE LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Staff Writer Five years ago, Maria Sears had a dream: To combine her love of crocheting, a lifelong hobby, with her desire to help those most in need. Inspired by a group that gave blankets to seriously ill A patient is seriously ill when his or her illness is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern but there is no imminent danger to life. See also very seriously ill. children, Sears found out many organizations were in need of warm blankets. She was moved by the idea of making blankets for children who were being removed from their homes by social workers. So she decided to try to unite knitters and crocheters who wanted to help their community. One recruit quickly turned into 20, and the Blanket Brigade was born a month later. ``To be able to give from the heart and help those less fortunate, that is what I am most grateful for,'' Sears said. `Something to hold' As Sears celebrated the Blanket Brigade's 1,000th blanket on Saturday, she and her more than 20 fellow ``brigadiers'' got a chance to hear the gratitude of others. For Sydney Tucker, the blanket brigade has been a saviour. Tucker, supervising social worker for the county's Department of Children and Family Services in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , gives the handmade blankets to children who have been removed from their homes. Tucker said it's especially touching to see an older sibling take one of the colorful blankets to wrap a younger brother Wiki is aware of the following uses of "'Younger Brother":
``It leaves them with something to hold, to cuddle,'' Tucker said. ``So they don't have to get to their foster home bare.'' Over the years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time blanket-makers have extended their gifts to a variety of organizations. The energetic group was even able to provide a shipment of blankets to the Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. .
``At our Christmas party, your blankets were the hit,'' said Carole Lutness, a licensed counselor representing the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Department of Mental Health. Lutness presented the brigade with a certificate of appreciation after it donated blankets for the department's annual Christmas party for the mentally disabled mentally disabled See Cognitively impaired. and elderly. Security blanket security blanket n. 1. A blanket carried by a child to reduce anxiety. 2. Informal Something that dispels anxiety. Noun 1. for kids At Santa Clarita Valley's Domestic Violence Center, program director Almira Agosto gives the blankets to families entering the emergency shelter Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they can't live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific type of situation, such as battered and those leaving for transitional housing. ``It becomes a security blanket for the child,'' Agosto said. Agosto said she loves to see the reactions from the women and children when she tells them the blankets are handmade. ``It really makes the families feel special to know they have been handmade and that it is the community that is giving these gifts to them,'' Agosto said. Lupe Lopez, director at the County Service Center in Newhall, also presented the brigade with a certificate of appreciation. ``Your spirit, ladies, is what makes all of this happen,'' Lopez said. More than 60 women have devoted thousands of hours to the Blanket Brigade's mission. It takes about 20 hours to crochet a blanket, and at least a couple of hours to put together a fleece fleece, mat of wool formed by shearing a sheep in one continuous operation. The average fleece weighs from 5 to 10 lb (2.3–4.5 kg); in highbred wool sheep such as the American Merinos a ram's fleece may reach 30 lb (13.6 kg). blanket. For Joanne Greene, who makes about two blankets a week for the brigade, crocheting has been good for her soul -- and her lungs. Greene, who had been a smoker smoker A person who smokes tobacco, almost always understood to be cigarettes Ratio of ♂:♀ smokers Philippines64/19, China61/7, Saudi Arabia53/2, Russia50/12 for most of her life, was able to quit when she began her hobby. ``I had to keep my fingers busy somehow,'' Greene said. Quality grandma time The youngest member of the brigade, 15-year-old Olivia Osmond, joined when she was 10 so she could spend quality time with her grandma. ``It is fun to spend time with these ladies,'' Osmond said. Thousands of spools of yarn later, Sears said she feels that every blanket has been a blessing. A retired medical office manager, Sears has spent many years involved in community service, but she said the Blanket Brigade has been the most rewarding. As she thanked the women -- who over five years have devoted endless hours of time and energy to the Blanket Brigade's efforts -- Sears' voice began to crack. ``Your 1,000 blankets have made many dreams come true,'' she said. ``Thank you for making my dream come true, too.'' connie.llanos@dailynews.com (661) 257-5254 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Maria Sears and her Blanket Brigade, a group of crocheters and knitters, celebrate the 1,000th blanket made for needy families on Saturday morning at the Greenhouse Cafe in Saugus. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion