Hannah Croy

Mrs. Finney (Period 9)

Honors Religion III

April 26, 2017

Service Project 2017

Volunteering is the act of freely doing something for others. It allows members of the

community to help others in time of need or just in a general way. In prior years I have served

homeless, youth in sports, and the elderly. This year I decided to help young children. The Linus

Project is an organization that collects donated blankets to give to children who are hospitalized;

providing them comfort. Their mission started with a little girl named Laura, age 3, who was

given a blanket in order to guide her through chemotherapy. The girl was published in an article

in Parade Magazine titled Joy to the World on Christmas Eve, 1995. With the support of this

special blankie, Laura was able to continue her treatment with as much comfort as possible.

In 2011 I was hospitalized for about 10 days. During my stay, I was presented with a knot

blanket generous of the Linus Foundation. The other day I found the blanket and on it, a small

tag that said, Project Linus which gave me an idea to make knot blankets and donate them to

the Project. Yesterday, April 25th, I gave the blankets to JoAnn Fabrics. JoAnns is partnered with

Pittsburgh Childrens Hospital and will be able to transport the blankets downtown. Children

receiving treatment for cancer, recovering from surgeries and operations, in addition to many

others, will be gifted these blankets in an effort to bring them comfort.

This service made me realize and appreciate how such a small gesture, such a blanket,

can be so impactful on a child. I liked this form of service because it allowed me to be flexible
about when I could complete my hour; nnbnnnalthough, making 20 blankets was rather

repetitive.