The Brandon and Area Community Foundation awarded ‘Project Linus’ close to $3000 this past week through the ‘100 Women Who Care’ organization.

‘100 Women Who Care’ is a group under the umbrella of the BACF where women from all across Westman gather four times each year to donate to a local charity that is presented that evening to those who are in attendance.

This past Tuesday evening saw 57 women gather in Brandon, each donating $50 towards the cause that would be voted for with majority vote. ‘Project Linus’ was the recipient of the $2850.00.

Cora Champion has been a member of the Westman Chapter of ‘Project Linus’ for some 7 years. She said their primary purpose is to provide homemade blankets to children who have been traumatized or affected by sickness in some way. “We feel that blankets provide comfort and the feeling of being loved and hugged, and we feel that is very important.”

Champion said they have a wonderful group of ‘blanketeers’ who make sew, knit and crochet blankets to give away throughout the Westman area, from the Canada/U.S. border to as far north as Dauphin, and the many communities in between.

The organization reaches out to hurting kids through a number of agencies, including ambulance attendants and kids camps for children who are struggling with loss.

Having now close to $3000 to add to their coffers, Champion explains how the funds are to be used.

“That money will be used primarily for buying fabric and yarn. In particular, we have some members who have the skills and the desire to help but who often don’t have the resources. So, some of that money gets put forth to them so they can continue to contribute.”

“Also, there are some costs as we store, wash and label the blankets. And, we also want to be sure we let people know about ‘Project Linus’ through brochures and ‘Thank you’ cards to show our appreciation to those who donate their time and effort.”

On behalf of ‘Project Linus’, Champion was thrilled to receive the cheque from the ‘100 Women Who Care’ as well as to share with a group of women who are passionate about helping local charities in such a special way.

For contact information and to find out how you can volunteer your skills in blanket-making with ‘Project Linus’ go to www.projectlinuscanada.org and click on Local Chapters to find the map of Canada. Click on the province of Manitoba to find Westman Region, MB (Brandon & Region).

For more information on joining ‘100 Women Who Care’ visit the Brandon Area Community Foundation website www.bacf.ca to find out how you can join.

BACF General Manager, Laura Kempthorne, says membership does not cap at 100 women, and there is always opportunity to become a member. The larger the membership, the greater the impact to the organization who receives that evening’s donation, she says.

If 100 women attend an evening of presentations, and each woman donates $50, the entire $5000 is presented to the charity with the majority vote. Four times each year, three women are selected to share their passion on the charity of their choosing for that meeting.

The next meeting of ‘100 Women Who Care’ is scheduled for mid-September. This will be their third meeting of the year and current members are hoping to hit the 100 mark for those in attendance. They are encouraging women from across Westman to join in helping those charities that are dear to them through ‘100 Women Who Care’.

“Car-pooling from a community to the Brandon meetings would be a great idea to get more involved,” says one member. “Hopefully next meeting we’ll reach that 100 number! Just imagine being able to give $5000 to a charity like the Linus Project to reach out to those who need help to keep going!”

All donations are tax-deductible through the Brandon Area Community Foundation.