Kathlyn's “Doing Good in the Edge” column highlights projects from the Do Gooders teen community service group agencies and organizations in the community Doing Good. The Allstate Foundation supports the Do Gooders in their work.

Sewing handmade blankets for Project Linus has been one of the Edge’s longest-running service projects, even before the Do Gooders community service group formed. Project Linus is a nationwide, volunteer-led organization that collects handmade blankets and distributes them to children in hospitals and shelters.

Adele Shapiro, Chapter Coordinator for Project Linus in Westchester, says the handmade blankets bring warmth, love, and security to children in need of comfort, letting them know that someone was thinking of them. Adele’s chapter has donated over 13,000 blankets since 1996, including at White Plains Hospital’s emergency room and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) , and at the Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center.

Shapiro says her chapter is always looking for more volunteers to contribute handmade blankets. She’ll be here in the Edge on Saturday, February 15th from 2:00-4:00 p.m., helping teen volunteers make another batch of blankets for Project Linus. We’ll help beginners learn to use our sewing machines, and no-sew options will be available as well. Registration is required; to sign up, please visit our online calendar. If you’re interested in learning more about this fun and rewarding volunteer opportunity, please visit the Westchester-Rockland Project Linus Facebook page or the Project Linus website.