Students from Academy of the Canyons Middle College High School (AOC), part of the William S. Hart Union High School District, will once again be participating in the bi-annual Project Linus Make a Blanket Day on Saturday, February 18, 2016, at the Westfield Valencia Town Center Mall.

The mission of the Santa Clarita Valley/Antelope Valley/Sylmar Chapter of Project Linus is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade, washable blankets and afghans lovingly crafted by volunteer blanketeers. Blankets for local children in need will be assembled inside the Valencia mall on the lower level in front of Sears.

AOC has been involved for the last five years, helping to open the local chapter, after English teacher Sharon Garver received a blanket for her newborn in the NICU. The gesture of someone spending weeks or even months making a blanket for a child he/she would never meet made her cry in gratitude. To repay the act of kindness, Sharon started making blankets, and shortly after telling her AOC students about Project Linus, 90 students stepped up to help her make 110 blankets in three months.

Project Linus clubs are also at Rio Norte and Placerita junior highs, as well as Hart and Valencia high schools, Hart @ Home and the transitional program at Golden Oak Adult School.

Anyone who is willing to learn how to cut and tie off blankets is invited to join in the fun anytime between 10:00 am and 9:00 pm. It’s asked that volunteers bring their own fleece (either anti-pill or polar but NOT microfleece) because fleece cannot be provided to everyone for this event. We will be providing everything else!

The local Project Linus chapter is incredibly close to reaching 6,000 blankets donated to children in need. During the last event, nearly 500 blankets were made, and with the help of the community, the goal is 500 more this time.

For more information, please contact chapter coordinator Sharon Garvar at sgarvar@gmail.com or call her at (818) 648-3835. To sign up or for more information on the Make a Blanket Day, please visit the website at http://scvprojectlinus.org/updates/.