Blanket program thrives under director

Christine Newby learned the art of crochet from her mom.

Over the years, she’s used the talent to make blankets for friends and family, but it found a thriving home in an organization called Project Linus.

“When you have a passion, you just keep making stuff,” said Newby who took over the Augusta chapter of the organization in 2018 after first becoming a volunteer.

Inspired by the Peanuts’ character Linus and his ever-faithful security blanket, Project Linus provides handcrafted blankets to children who are seriously ill, who have been through a traumatic situation or are otherwise in need of comfort.

Newby was content with her yarn and needle until she sat down for coffee with the group’s coordinator who was going through some family issues and needed someone to take over the local organization which was started in 2011.

At first, Newby said “no.” She was still working as an IT project manager and didn’t have the time. The coordinator asked her to deliver the blankets she’d made to the Ronald McDonald House.

“That was all she wrote,” said Newby. “They were so thankful for the donations. They sat me on the chair with Ronald McDonald’s arm around me and put all 25 of the blankets around. I was bawling my eyes out.”

That first year, Newby and her handful of volunteers made 400 blankets. In 2019, they made 1,000; only meeting that milestone because her 10 volunteers each made 10 blankets during the final week of the year.

In 2022, the group made more than 7,100 blankets; last year, the total was more than 6,000, pushing the grand total to 23,621. Newby expects the chapter to top 30,000 blankets by year’s end.

Blankets are distributed throughout the community with different agencies for children from infants to 18-year-olds. The babies at the NICU at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia are among the youngest and teens in a program for those transitioning out of the foster care system are the oldest.

It’s grown from a handful of volunteers to an average of 90 attending the monthly blanket making days in the community rooms at Platt’s Funeral Home. All ages, from mothers with elementary school-aged children in tow to people in their 90s come together to cut, tie, sew or organize. Students help out to gain community service hours.

Newby recalled one blanket-making day which brought out several smaller children who wanted to help. They were too young to use the scissors or do some of the other tasks required so Newby asked them to take the fabric around the room to make sure the pieces got lots of hugs. That love, she told them, could be given to another child.

Not only are there people who crochet or make the “no sew” blankets, but members of several quilting groups have joined in.  There are designated quilt-making days at a couple of area churches.         Multiple rooms in her home are dedicated to Project Linus. She has a large project room with tables plus a walk-in packed with fabric.  She even has about 500 yards of fabric in the bathtub of her spare bathroom – hidden behind a shower curtain. 

“We’ve had so much fabric donated. We determined I have about 7,000 yards of fabric in my closet,” she said. “As soon as I clean it out, someone else will donate fabric and we’ll fill it up again.”

What Newby loves most about her work with Project Linus are the relationships that she’s formed and the community that has been cultivated.

 Newby marvels at the growth she’s seen. At each event, she honors her mom and gives the new “blanketeer” a plant propagated from one her mother gave her.

“None of you would be here if my mom hadn’t taught me to crochet,” she tells them.

Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.