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A lesson in giving
By MICHELE MILLER, Times Staff Writer
HUDSON -- Sewing and cooking are typical lessons for the students in Robin Berube's family and consumer science class at Hudson Middle School. But this year Berube decided to add a little community service to her curriculum. "At this age (middle school) it's all about the kids," Berube said. "I wanted them to realize the need of family and community, to help each other instead of always thinking of themselves." After searching the Web for something that would appeal to her students, Berube came across Project Linus, a worldwide organization that provides blankets to hospitalized children or to those who have been through a traumatic experience. According to the Web site, www.projectlinus.org, the idea for the organization came on Christmas Eve in 1995 after founder Karen Loucks read a Parade magazine article by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams. The story featured a young cancer patient who shared how her security blanket helped get her through some rather tough treatments. Loucks then decided to provide homemade security blankets to children undergoing treatment at the Rocky Mountain Children's Cancer Center in Denver. Since then, more than 400,000 blankets have been provided by Project Linus chapters worldwide. Now the kids at Hudson Middle will be adding to that number. Since October they've made 30 quilts and infant blankets that will be distributed locally this week. The project has been well-received by students and some parents who have donated quilting materials, said Berube, who has organized a local chapter. Some students work in groups. One Wednesday morning, Shannon Tooker, Toby Lones, Breanna Jahn, James Nichols and Andrew Pulaski were huddled around one sewing machine. Others, such as Deanna LaCrosse, have worked on their quilts on their own from start to finish. "It's fun. I like to sew," said Deanna, who chose a blue flower pattern for her homemade quilt. "It's a good idea," said eighth-grader Ashley Speer, who along with Stephanie Reid spent her class time sewing Project Linus labels that feature the famous Peanuts cartoon character Linus and his ever-present security blanket on the finished quilts. "It helps little kids, and I think it will make them happy." -- To donate quilting materials, call Robin Berube at Hudson Middle School at (727) 774-8200.
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