On Saturday, September 22 Project Linus held its bi-annual fundraiser: Make a Blanket Day. Project Linus is a national organization which aims to create hand-made blankets which instill a sense of security for otherwise severely ill youth, traumatized youth, or those who are in need. The Project Linus chapter for the Santa Clarita Valley, Sylmar, and Antelope Valley is housed at Academy of the Canyons, and is led by Sharon Garvar.
Mrs. Garvar brought the Project Linus organization to the Santa Clarita Valley after an experience with the organization herself. When she gave birth to her son, Evan, an unfortunate experience with pneumonia led to her son’s hospitalization in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Once there, her son was gifted a Project Linus blanket. This kind, heartfelt, and selfless act by the volunteers who created the Project Linus blanket inspired her to create the organization in her own town to give back to others, and gift upon others the feeling of care that she had during an extremely difficult and trying time.
The Fall 2018 session of Make a Blanket Day took place at Golden Valley High School in their gymnasium this year. Hundreds of high school students and other willing volunteers came together to create over 570 blankets for children in need. Volunteers purchased the material for their blankets at a craft store such as Joann’s, and then brought the material to the event to create the blankets. Once a volunteer creates the blankets, Academy of the Canyons students in the Project Linus club or Non-Profit Ventures elective on campus take the blankets, review them to be sure that they are safe for children to use, sew tags on the blankets, and then put them away to be washed and distributed by Mrs. Garvar.
At the Make a Blanket Day event, food trucks from the Santa Clarita Valley come onto the Golden Valley Campus to sell food. This year, the Japanese barbecue fusion truck BBKyu, and locally owned ice cream truck Sweet Beam’s attended.
Other than the food trucks, the event stimulates a sense of community and friendship-building on campus. The large turnout from schools around the Hart District come together to volunteer their time to create blankets for this cause. This event is a great opportunity to come together and socialize with friends and strangers.
To discover more about the Project Linus organization, log onto their website: https://scvprojectlinus.org/.