On Saturday, Nov. 23, staff member Jean Hess and her husband, Rick, delivered 50 quilts and blankets to the children of Washington, Ill., a town devastated by a series of tornadoes that swept across Illinois.
Fabric for those blankets first had been cut into quilt-sized pieces and then sorted by color, a service project of the SAU Staff Assembly. Ironically, Hess, an East Central Iowa Project Linus chapter member, was working with other chapter members at the very moment the storms blew through Washington.
The blankets and quilts were ready-made when the call went out to Project Linus chapters across the country to supply 2,000 blankets.
"A blanket or quilt may not seem like much to give to a child who has lost their home and most of their belongings," said Hess. "But it is the small things that often matter most, and who doesn't want a 'blankie'?"
Project Linus typically provides blankets to children's hospitals, funeral homes, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and anywhere else a child without a blanket might need one.
SAU Staff Assembly Service Committee chair Debbie Dobbyn said it is uplifting to learn that some of the work done by staff volunteers will benefit the victims of the Washington tornado.
Staff members who assisted Project Linus include Hess, Dobbyn, Yvette Work, Nancy Flaherty, Suzanne Wiess, Becky Pracht, Cathleen Seaman, Cathy Toohey, Lori Pelletier and Cassey Lage.
Education Together
We are pleased to announce that St. Ambrose University has signed a new joint agreement with Mount Mercy University as we explore a potential strategic combination. We celebrate this exciting news not only for each of our universities and our communities, but also for the region.
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