JPMorgan Chase branches in Houston and San Antonio, Texas recently sponsored a blanket-making event for employees. JPMC purchased our no-sew fleece blanket kits, paid for shipping to employees' homes. Their employees responded by making 250 blankets for children in foster care in their areas.

We recently heard from one of these blanket angels who sent us this photo and story that we want to share with you:

I was able to donate my (2) blankets to a local friend who recently started doing foster care. She just received a new foster child on Thursday last week and said the girl came with nothing but over-sized boy clothes and shoes.

​I am so glad I was able to deliver this blanket to her on Saturday while she was shopping for her. She said the little girl was THRILLED to get her OWN blanket!! She sent me this pic of the foster child holding the blanket, and even though we can’t see it, the foster mom said she was smiling ear to ear! 

This is why we do what we do.  This is why your support is essential.  Even though we rarely see these young people with their new blankets, this photo reminds us that a small gift of a blanket can make a big difference to a child in crisis who has lost so much.  Thank you for supporting our mission. 

Camille, an instructor at Concorde Career College in San Antonio, Texas, learned about MVOB through Texas Foster Care and Adoption. She and her husband fostered their grandson and recently adopted him. While he was in foster care he received a MVOB blanket.
 
Camille was moved to give back to other children in care. She, a colleague and their dental assistant students spent an evening after class making 10 blankets to donate to Texas Foster Care, and plans are in the works for more. We're grateful for these caring Blanket Angels.

See photos of the event below.  

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.