Founded in 1995 by Karen Loucks of Denver, Colorado, Project Linus is a national, 100% volunteer, non-profit organization providing security blankets to seriously ill and traumatized children. It's a perfect example of the saying: "One person really can make a difference".

 Barb (right) chats with a new
Montana coordinator. Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter work together to achieve our mission. Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception.

Although Project Linus originally donated blankets to pediatric cancer patients, recipients now include any child who is seriously ill or traumatized in some way - in other words "children in need of a big hug".

The North Idaho • Spokane Washington Chapter's first delivery was 15 blankets made in April 2000. We now deliver between 600 and 800 blankets each month. By December, 2007 we had made and delivered more than 15,000 blankets. This may sound like a lot of blankets but the demand is far greater so even though our chapter is growing all the time, we are always looking for more "blanketeers".

Our volunteers come from as far east as Missoula, Montana; throughout North Idaho; Central Idaho; Wenatchee and Lewiston, Washington; and even Sitka and Anchorage, Alaska.