Project
Linus: in WA and ID, working
with MISS
Project Linus in WA State:
From WA MISS Chapter - Through the national office of the MISS Foundation, we were told that we could request a quilt square to be made in honor of each of our children who have died. The square would then be placed in the national memorial quilt that will be shown at the MISS Conference 2004. I (Kara) immediately wrote back to Melissa, coordinator for this quilt square project at MISS, and asked her if we could have one done for our Dakota. She said yes and then went on to assign our square to a random Project Linus Blanketeer. Melissa had no idea who that particular blanketeer was, nor what that person's location was.
A few days later, Melissa gets an email from the Project Linus volunteer who is making our Dakota's square. Turns out the volunteer lives very close to us, was reading about our KotaPress work, and at that moment looked up and saw an amazing rainbow. This volunteer, Roxann, felt moved to contact us. I was so touched by how she felt Dakota had affected her as she made the quilt square! So touched that she felt that rainbow had come from my Kota!!
Then something even more extraordinary happened. Melissa wrote to me again to say she had gotten the quilt square from Roxann and it was *beautiful*. And then Roxann told me she had made a duplicate square for me to have!!!! Again, I was soooo floored by her generosity. So Roxann mailed a package off to me.
When the package arrived, I was in the local cafe here. Again, I was floored. Roxann had not made a duplicate square!! She had made a whole pillow for me!!!!!! The pattern on it matched the quilt, but this was a whole, soft, beautiful, cushie pillow! On one side she created a duck for our Mrs. Duck Project, along with Dakota's name and dates. On the other side though, she had put the Dakota Tribe quote that I had discovered in Zona's book The Soul Would Have No Rainbow!!!!!
I just can't get over her generosity. I asked her more about Project Linus and how it works here in WA State. Roxann put me in touch with Lynn Mazer who is the South Puget Sound coordinator. And Lynn sent me a copy of their newsletter. So I wanted everyone here in WA -- and all over -- to know about this amazing and talented group of Blanketeers!! Here's the WA State info:
South Puget Sound, Lynn
Mazer, Coordinator
http://pages.ivillage.com/linusquilter/indes.htm
Project Linus in ID State:
Thanks to all that supported
the Project Linus &
MISS Blanket Act of Kindness
2003 project,
a MISS project for Pregnancy
& Infant Loss Awareness
Month - October 2003
50 handmade blankets will
be delivered this week to:
Baby Steps in Boise, Open
Arms Baby Boutique in Nampa,
Birthright of Boise and
The Woodriver Pregnancy
Center.
These non-profit groups
provide support & education
to parents for a healthy
pregnancy.
Each blanket is wrapped
with a MISS Kindness Card,
in the memory of children
loved and missed.
Thanks to Project Linus
Blanketeers:
Lisa in memory of Sarah
Louise Taylor; Dee Dee &
Taylee Stine in memory of
son & brother, Bailey;
Tracy & Ron Herzog in
memory of Makalie; Beth
& niece, Tamara in memory
of Nathan Daniel Foote;
Tara and sister Morna, in
memory of Jordan David Klapprich;
The Zeyer Family helpers:
Marie, Rachel, Steven and
Michael kept us on our toes;
Linda & Steve in memory
of Matthew; Tasha for Samantha;
Nancy & Peter for son,
Joel.
Donations of fleece blanket
fabric & new store bought
baby or kid size blankets
accepted anytime for
October of 2004's blanket
drive. Goal: 100 or more
blankets! Would you like
to coordinate this special
project for 2004? Contact,
Nancy at 861-2407 -- you
don't have to sew.....just
organize a bit and we will
help!
Idaho
Chapter MISS Foundation
MISS Foundation Idaho programs:
Mothers and Dads in Sympathy
& Support Children of
HOPE, KISS kids, Grief Happens
for teens. Please be in
touch at missfoundationidaho@msn.com
or via phone at 208-861-2407.
This resources was brought
to you by MISS Foundation
Idaho: Mothers and Fathers
In Sympathy and Support.
MISS
Foundation Information
The M.I.S.S. Foundation
was founded in 1996 and
is an international non-profit
501(c ) 3 organization
which offers immediate and
on-going support for families
experiencing the death of
a child from any
cause. We offer local support
groups, bilingual support,
resources, free funeral
planning, peer counseling,
newsletters, camps for grieving
kids, and a wonderful website
(www.missfoundation.org).
We also believe strongly
in community education and
awareness. We offer various
programs that range from
healthy baby education to
bereavement support to annual
conferences and seminars
for medical professionals
helping provide psychosocial
intervention to grieving
families . For more information,
please contact the National
MISS Foundation offices
at 623.979.1000.
