In addition to the COVID-19 crisis, we had another challenge for the past 9 weeks. A water leak in our building caused damage to our floor and walls and soaked many bolts of fleece.
 
We quickly cut up the material into blankets, and our awesome Blanket Angel volunteers washed and dried the fleece and saved it all!  We then removed as many blankets as we could from the workshop and covered furniture and equipment with plastic to prepare for repairs.
 
The contractors got to work removing and replacing damaged drywall and flooring. During much of this time the workshop was closed as only Jessica could work in there to keep our “brown bin” curbside drop-off and pick-up running along!
 
Our dedicated Blanket Angel volunteers took work home with them and after many weeks were finally able to come back and work outside on tables in front of the workshop. You can see some of them wearing their masks while they work in the photos above and below.

Now, new drywall is hung and painted and our new flooring is laid! The dust and dirt are being cleaned up and soon we’ll move fleece, blankets and tables back in and welcome everyone back into the workshop. Many thanks to everyone who helped us work through this extra 2020 challenge! You were ALL AMAZING AND PATIENT and SO HELPFUL! Thank YOU!!
 
We would also like to thank our landlord, John Zettler, who was so gracious to take care of the  water leak repairs, as well as the contractors from Patrick Builders, LLC! 
 
Enjoy the pictures of the progress! 

The New Washington Community Quilters is a group of 10 – 15 women who, in normal times, meet monthly at St. John’s Lutheran Church in New Washington, a small town in Crawford County, Ohio, to assemble and knot blankets and share a potluck lunch.

They donate over 200 blankets a year to various local organizations that serve children in foster care and other children in need, including Harmony House, Crawford County Job and Family Services, Salvation Army, Red Cross, BORN, and WIC.

The group especially enjoys making blankets, bibs, sleep sacks and other items for infants and preschoolers.

Although the group has not been meeting at the church since March, they continue to sew at home and hope to resume monthly meetings soon.

We are very grateful for this group of dedicated quilters who work with My Very Own Blanket and other non-profit organizations to make a difference in their community. ​

​Twenty-five fifth graders at Alton Darby Elementary School led a schoolwide fundraising effort that resulted in a donation of more than $1,400 for My Very Own Blanket.
 
The students, who were participating in the See Kids Dream project, spent lunch and recess time learning about and practicing philanthropy. See Kids Dream is a non-profit organization that promotes service learning, empowering students to decide how to help others.
 
After the students identified possible issues (e.g., hunger, foster kids, veterans) in Hilliard and Central Ohio, it was time to get the whole school involved. The students presented information to each grade level about each issue. Then the whole school voted and decided to address the issue of children in foster care.
 
The students learned about the needs of foster children and researched area organizations that help them. Jessica Rudolph, head of MVOB, and a representative of another organization were invited to school to tell the students more about how they help foster kids. The students were so impressed with both of the women that they decided to give money to help both organizations.
 
The whole school community brought change to school for one week in late November. The students raised $2,180.73, a school record, and it was divided between the two non-profits.
 
Jaime Alexander, fifth grade teacher at Alton Darby, told us, “The fifth graders were very touched by Jessica's passion and desire that every child have a blanket of their own. We were very happy to give My Very Own Blanket the donation.”
 
We are very thankful for the generous donation made by the Alton Darby community and for their choice to help children in foster care.  

​Generations Performing Arts Center in Westerville holds a large scale blanket-making event for us every year. You can see from the photos above that they were still determined to make the event happen this year, despite COVID-19 and social distancing.
​They also had lots of dancers working from home to make blankets on a large scale Zoom call!   Great job, Generations staff and students! 
​ 
A fond memory below is a photo from last year, when all the dancers posed with their finished blankets.

My name is Tracy and I would like to donate this blanket to your charity.
 
I ordered a beautiful sympathy blanket for my daughter’s birthday, after she lost one of her 3-year-old twins. After several months of waiting (it was being made to order), and just in time for Christmas, it finally arrived. Only when I opened it, it was the wrong blanket. It was this blanket.
 
Somewhat disappointed, I didn’t see the point of returning it. What with all the hassles, I threw it in a cupboard and forgot about it over the holidays.
 
I recently started thinking about what I could do with the blanket and thought I would go online and look for a charity, in Ohio USA, that I could donate it to, as it is a specialized subject matter after all, LOL.  It is my hope that this blanket can go to an Ohio State football fan.

After a short while of searching, I came across your charity and was immediately drawn. You see, I was in the care system, living in group homes and foster homes throughout my teens, in London UK in the 80’s. I then went on to work with children and young people in the care system myself before moving to Australia with my family in 2009.
 
I was quite hopeless as a young person in care, but went on to thrive and have an amazing family and life in a very beautiful part of the world.
 
I am very impressed by the work your charity does as I always kind of laughed at the term “care” system, because I believed no one really did.  But organizations like yours that enter young people’s lives and show that someone, somewhere cares enough about them that they sent them a small thing, is not a small thing.
 
I have come a long way since those dark and depressing days of my youth. I have made it to 50 years old and have beautiful, amazing grandchildren now. I don’t know if messages get to the receivers of the blankets, but I would like to offer this message of hope if possible.
 
Even in your darkest hour, don’t give up hope that things can be different one day, if you want them to be. It’s all about the choices we make; small steps can still carry you far. It just takes longer. I never could have imagined how good life would get. Hang in there. With the right choices, anything is possible.
 
Finally, I’d like to thank you guys, the volunteers and workers that make a difference to young lives when they need it most. You are appreciated more than you will ever know.

Many thanks and kindest regards,
Tracy Y, Queensland, Australia

Members of Meeting Planners International from Ohio and Kentucky made 200 fleece blankets at a recent educational conference in Cincinnati. The project was organized by Peggy, a conference participant who is the Chicago-based Midwest Sales Director for a West Palm Beach, FL tourism company.

Peggy learned about MVOB through an event held in West Palm Beach that included a blanket-making project. The experience inspired her to become an MVOB advocate.

At the Cincinnati event, Peggy hosted an exhibit booth where attendees learned about MVOB and made blankets. To make it happen, she connected with three local Blanket Angels who picked up the fleece in Westerville and delivered it in Cincinnati, ​collected the finished blankets after the event, and donated them in Cincinnati.

Peggy will take the leftover fleece to an industry event in Chicago where new blanket angels will make blankets that she will donate in Chicago, extending MVOB's mission even farther, to more children in foster care.

We are blessed to have another partner in our mission to provide love and hope to children in foster care. Stitched Together, a family-run organization serving Central Ohio, was created to meet a need for kids entering the foster care system and give them a little hope during an uncertain time in their life.

Stitched Together wants to provide every kid entering foster care with their own Hope Case and something to call their own.
 
Hope Cases are backpacks filled with comfort items as well as essential items for children entering the foster care system. Hope cases ease their transition with something to call their own. Each Hope Case is packed with items specific to a certain age group.