If you are interested in completing your service for the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program through a “virtual” activity - where the work is completed in your home as opposed to a project organized by an agency – please review the following information for Handmade Blankets, brought to you by Project Linus.

Click here to see pictures of volunteers who have already participated!

Project Overview

How many times have heard a story of a sick child, a family who has come upon hard times or a child who has been abused or neglected? Through the donations of new, handmade blankets and afghans, you can help bring a little comfort, warmth and love to a child in need.

For each volunteer in your household that is signed up to complete this project and receive free admission to Disney, ONE BLANKET EACH is required. We realize that small children may not have the skills to sew a blanket, but age appropriate tasks can be assigned to all members of the family. For example, you could include a handmade card made by smaller children. All members of the family can help to shop for the fabric and materials.

Suggestions for additional family oriented activites are provided in the column to the right.

Instructions

1. Access Disney Parks.com and complete all the entries to register you and your family for a Give a day. Get a Disney day. opportunity.
2. Choose the type and pattern for the blanket/quilt you want to create and purchase supplies.
3. Blankets must be well made, using new materials only.
4. Blankets may be any style, i.e. quilted, tied, crocheted, knitted and fleece.
5. Quilted blankets, or those made with fabric must include 3 layers: top, backing and batting.
6. Fleece blankets can be single thickness.
7. Blankets must be at least 36” x 45” or larger, up to twin size. Approximately 45” x 60” is the perfect size.
8. Include one or more photographs of your family working together on the project.
9. Be sure to allow enough time for shipping blankets so that arrive by your completion date.
10. Completed blankets must be sent to Project Linus - Charlottesville/Central Virginia Chapter Headquarters. Print and fill in the verification letter . The completed letter and photographs must be included in the package with your finished blankets.  Mail the package to:

Project Linus - Charlottesville/Central Virginia Chapter

c/o Audrey Martens

120 Hickory Lane

Barboursville, VA 22923

Questions?

E-mail Project Linus - Charlottesville/Central Virginia Chapter Headquarters at with any questions. 

Preflection

Talk to your children about the personal benefits from helping others as well as how it can change lives of those in need. Ask the following questions to get them thinking and talking. Discussing the issue is the key to helping your children develop empathy and compassion for the people that will receive your volunteer donation.

1. Have you ever been in a hospital? How did that feel?
2. Discuss the meaning of the word, comfort. (to give strength and hope; to CHEER; to ease the grief or trouble of; CONSOLE.)
3. How could a handmade blanket make you feel more secure and comfortable?
4. How do you think that the volunteers feel about what they do?
5. What can our family do to bring comfort to children who are ill?

Reflection

After your volunteer project, it is important for families to reflect on their experiences. Choose one of the Reflection Activities from the list below.

• Magic Wand – This activity uses the concept of a magic wand to help children talk about and reflect on their volunteer experience. Have your family sit in a circle. Tell everyone that you have just found a magic wand that allows you to grant wishes, and pose the questions, “If you could grant a wish to one person, who would it be, and what do you think he or she would wish for?” “How do you think what we did today will make someone feel, and how do you think that is similar to granting a wish?”

• Family Pictionary – Have each member of the family take turns drawing something about their volunteer experience and how they felt about it. While each person is drawing, have everyone else try to guess what the picture represents. After each picture is drawn, the artist should talk about the picture and why they chose to draw it.

Book Talk

To help children better understand the reasons why your family is completing this activity and the needs of your community, consider using Book Talk activities. Selected books can be read before or after the project.

• Homelessness Fact Sheet for Kids 

• The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern

It is wintertime in the city and freezing cold, but not everyone is inside and warm. Ben and his sister Lizzie know that there is a lady who lives outside in a box over a warm air vent. The children worry about the kind-looking lady, and begin sneaking food and clothes out of their apartment for her. Their mother catches on asks them to take her to “the lady in the box.” The family is inspired to help the homeless woman and to help out at the local soup kitchen.

• Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

A small child lives with his father in an airport. He talks about sleeping sitting up, washing in the restroom, and above all, avoiding being noticed. The story runs through all his emotions from a matter-of-fact acceptance to a fierce longing that makes him angry with those who have homes.

• A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning

Zettie and her Mama left their warm and comfortable home in Jamaica for an uncertain life in the United States. After Papa died, Mama can't find a steady job and they are forced to live in their car. But Mama's unwavering love, support, and gutsy determination give Zettie the confidence that, together, they will survive.

• The Quiltmaker’s Gift/ The Quiltmaker’s Journey by Jeff Brumbeau

The Quiltmaker’s Gift tells the story of a greedy king who, with the help of a generous quiltmaker, learns to find happiness by giving his possessions away. The Quiltmaker’s Journey tells the story behind the Quiltmaker’s Gift as it highlights a different traditional quilt block pattern, the name of which relate to the unfolding story. The Quiltmaker’s Gift and The Quiltmaker’s Journey celebrates the value of generosity, the spirit of community and the quilting tradition.

Blanket “Hugs” (Optional)

Blanket hugs are a fun and easy activity for children and allow you to personalize the project by writing

notes to blanket recipients.

Materials

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Pen or markers
• Tape

Instructions

1. Trace your hands on construction paper, cut out the hands, and attach them to "arms" (a strip of paper long enough to wrap around the rolled-up blanket).

2. Include a caring message on the strip around the blanket or make a caring card.