Seriously ill, traumatized and needy children will be blanketed in warmth, thanks to the efforts of local sewers and crafters.

Area residents have donated 141 handmade blankets for Project Linus at A-Best Sew & Vac in Albert Lea. The mission of Project Linus is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, tramautized or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade washable blankets and afghans crafted by volunteer blanketeers.

It all began with &uot;Make A Blanket Day 2003,&uot; where blanketeers were invited to come to A-Best Sew & Vac to make a blanket or donate one on Feb. 15. A-Best Sew & Vac is the local dealer for Janome sewing machines, and Janome America is the national sponsor for Project Linus Make A Blanket Day 2003.

Lisa Hanson, co-owner of A-Best, said three sewers came to the store that day, but many more expressed interest in the project and said it would be easier for them to make the blankets at home.

Blanketeers received a chance to win a new Janome sewing machine for each blanket turned in by the end of the business day Saturday. The drawing is being held today.

Hanson said the goal was to donate 50 blankets as a result of the blanket-making day. She said she believes the total was so much higher because of the sewing machine incentive and the fact that people liked the idea.

Eighty of the donated blankets were taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, and Hanson said the store would also be contacting area fire and law enforcement departments to see if they would have a need for any blankets. All donated blankets have a label which states they were donated as part of Project Linus.

A-Best will continue to be a drop-off point for blankets all year, Hanson added.

Project Linus got its start after Karen Loucks read an article titled &uot;Joy to the World&uot; in Parade Magazine on Christmas Eve 1995. Part of the article featured a petite, downy-haired child who had been going through intensive chemotherapy and stated that her security blanket helped her get through the treatments.

After reading the article, Loucks decided to provide homemade security blankets to Denver’s Rocky Mountain Children’s Cancer Center, and Project Linus was born.

Since its beginnings, Project Linus has donated more than 560,000 security blankets to children around the world.