Project Linus sends support to local children in need

Thanks to the efforts of local Project Linus quilters, thousands of quilts have gone to children facing tough situations across the peninsula and state.

Inspired by Linus from the “Peanuts” comic strip and his trusty blanket, the group of about 200 quilters from Forks to Brinnon make quilts for children one-day-old to age 18 in critical and difficult situations, said local facilitator Phyllis Carey with Wa. Peninsula/Sequim Chapter of Project Linus.

“It’s for any reason someone might need a warm hug,” Carey said.

Since the local chapter started in August 1998, it’s provided 31,720 quilts to children locally and as far away as Spokane. This year, they’ve donated 1,402 blankets so far, including 170 that went out on Oct. 20 for distribution in West End elementary schools.

There are about 200 active members ages 7 to 100 making a few quilts up to more than 100 a year, Carey said.

One-hundred-year-old Grace Torrence of Sunland recently turned in her 500th blanket for the group. Her daughter Connie Torrence said she and her sister quilt with their mother to help her stay active while helping others in need, too.

“I like to have an outlet to do something for someone else,” Connie Torrence said of Project Linus.

Another quilter for the group, Alyce Hansen, turns 100 next year.

LaRue Robirts of Sequim started quilting with Project Linus shortly after the formation of the local chapter and seeing an ad in her church bulletin.

“I sew everyday and enjoy seeing what I can come up with,” Robirts said.

One of her most memorable quilts came about after receiving some fabric from Carey with one piece reading, “My dad is my hero.”

Unsure how this would fit into a piece for children facing tough scenarios, Robirts kept the piece until she learned of the passing of Sequim fire Capt. Charles “Chad” Cate earlier this year.

She decided to make his young son a quilt with firefighter fabric and the “hero” piece. Robirts shared the quilt through a Cate family member.

Blankets and all

Part of Project Linus’ mission states they will “provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer ‘blanketeers.’”

Quoting her cousin Garrin Ross, Carey said she tries to live by words he shared with her, “Even the most simple act of kindness can change a life forever.”

That goes for the quilters too, she said.

“I truly believe that this is a community effort and we could not do it without the support and dedication of so many kind-hearted residents,” Carey said.

“I think it is important to validate each gift that is given and then received. We all make a difference and can change a life no matter what our age.”

In recent years, Project Linus has helped Sequim Community Aid’s Toys for Sequim Kids event each December.

Quilters estimate they have donated more than 1,200 blankets since 2019, and anticipate making another 120 for this year’s event.

Project Linus support

Project Linus WA. Peninsula/Sequim Chapter operates out of a business front at 33 Valley Center Place in Carlsborg from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Visitors can pickup or make donations of fabrics, yarn, thread and other miscellaneous materials.

Donation sites can also be found at Loop N Stitch, 61 Hooker Road, Sequim; A Stitch in Time Quilt Shoppe, 225 E. Washington St, Sequim, and JOANN Fabrics, 150 Safeway Plaza, Port Angeles.

Batting is the most needed item, volunteers said. All donations are tax-refundable, too.

Project Linus blankets come quilted, in fleece, flannel, knit or crochet with organizers saying they “strive for warmth!”

Each blanket/quilt comes with a hand written tag from the quilter(s) and a Project Linus tag.

One of Robirts’ tags reads, “made just for you with love by LaRue.”

While many people sew to support children, any volunteer, even those who don’t sew, are welcome, organizers said.

The group’s annual fundraiser takes place 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 in the Gardiner Community Center, 980 Old Gardiner Road, with money raised helping pay for supplies for blanketeers.

Monthly quilting classes also tentatively start in January 2024.

For more information about Washington Peninsula/Sequim Chapter of Project Linus, contact Phyllis Carey at mrstc@embarqmail.com or visit wplinus.org/.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ LaRue Robirts of Sequim started sewing for Project Linus in the late 1990s, and said “I sew everyday and enjoy seeing what I can come up with.”

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Each quilt from Project Linus quilters includes a personal note, such as this one from LaRue Robirts of Sequim.

On Oct. 20, 170 quilts from Project Linus quilters went out for distribution to West End elementary schools to support children in difficult situations.