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Save the Date!!! Saturday Oct. 21, 2023 9-11 am The Linus Connection Annual Challenge & Birthday Celebration Celebrating 24 Years! Quilt & Blanket Challenge, Silent Auction, Fat Quarter Sale, Door Prizes, & More! St. Philip’s United Methodist Church 16321 Great Oaks Dr. Round Rock, Texas 78681 in the Family Life Center Our mission is to make and deliver handmade security blankets for children in crisis situations in the Central Texas area. The Linus Connection is a Federal 501 (c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible. thelinusconnection.org Silent Auction Pictures!! (there are a few duplicates and a few with no item number. I apologize for that and if I can figure out the number, I'll add it. Also, if it looks like the item number is mostly hidden, click on the picture and it should show up. Some are at the very bottom of the picture and the larger image will show it.)

Facility Spotlight - Foster Village There are two locations of Foster Village: Dripping Springs and North Austin. They are both a resource for foster families to get clothes, supplies and support. They currently get quilts and blankets from an internal group, but they did not have anywhere to get weighted blankets. When they could afford it, they would purchase these, but we are able to fill all their weighted blanket needs. They also were the first to ask for weighted lap pads for studying and calming during down times. We are now providing those to a number of different groups, including schools for ADHD rooms. Check them out at https://www.fostervillageaustin.org/ Demo - Weighted Blankets with Stephanie Stephanie explained how her and Anne put together weighted blankets. Benefits: There are two types of children who are receiving weighted blankets from The Linus Connection: students with ADHD and those who have experienced trauma, such as abuse, bullying, loss of a parent or sibling. ADHD: The blankets help students with ADHD by providing a calming and organizing effect. It helps them focus in school and doing homework. Our bodies have an intrinsic ability to sense and position themselves in space, called proprioception. Proprioception tells us where our bodies are in relation to other objects and in open spaces. It's very important to the brain, as it plays a large role in self- regulation, co-ordination, posture, body awareness, and the ability to focus. ADHD sufferers also have an increased risk of sleep problems. This calming effect helps with that as well. Trauma and PTSD: A weighted blanket molds to your body like a comforting hug, helping your nervous systems to relax. The weighted blanket stimulates the process of relaxation naturally, without the need for any drugs or medication. When you apply deep pressure to the body, the body switches from running its sympathetic nervous system to its parasympathetic nervous system. When the SNS takes the lead for too long, you feel anxious, tired, on edge, and irritable. You don’t sleep as well and your digestive system might act up. The parasympathetic system brings a sense of calm and peace to the mind and body. When the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, your heart rate slows, muscles relax, and circulation improves. Your body produces endorphins, which are the “happy” hormones. As deep pressure is applied to the body, the parasympathetic nervous system comes online, calming a child and bringing a sense of well-being. Linus volunteers make the quilt top and pellet pockets and Stephanie and Anne complete the process of making the blanket based on specific weight specifications. Find more information about weighted blankets on our Blanket Specifications page. Show and Tell

Facility Spotlight - Christ Child Society https://ccstxcapital.wordpress.com/ Meg Beasley, the President of the Central Texas Christ Child Society visited our meeting and provided information about their organization. They are a nationwide organization with 5500 members across 45 chapters. They provide bags to newborns that include diapers, baby wipes, onesies, sleep cap, socks, receiving blankets, burp cloths, a hooded towel and wash mit and a little book along with a baby blanket donated by The Linus Connection. They work with various agencies in Travis, Williamson and Bell counties to serve the needs of the communities. Demo - Receiving Blankets with Suzanne Suzanne did an awesome demo of all kinds of ways to make receiving blankets! Here is a link to the Super-Size Nine Patch pattern she mentioned. Super-Size Nine Patch Here is a link to the Burlap and Blossom Etsy store that was mentioned. BurlapBlossomPatterns. This Etsy shop has tons of quilt block patterns. Show and Tell Pictures

THANK YOU to everyone who supported the fabric sale in July!!!! We appreciate all the shoppers, volunteers and everyone who made the day happen!!!

Recipient Facility Spotlight The Salvation Army The Salvation Army Rathgeber Center for Families is a emergency shelter serving families with children experiencing homelessness. Phase 1 has 120 beds in 42 private rooms with the average family stay at 4-6 months. Phase II has 92 beds in 23 extended suites. In 2022 provided 51,725 bed nights serving 554 individuals. The Austin Shelter for Women and Children (ASWC) has operated since 2001, has 81 beds and has served 25,461 nights to 339 individuals. These facilities host monthly birthday parties for children with birthdays within that month. There are games and prizes and children are celebrated with birthday cakes, presents and loads of fun. The Linus Connection has been providing blankets to The Salvation Army since 2014 and has provided over 1600 blankets for the children being served in these shelters, plus over 500 during Hurricane Harvey. Announcements Linus Workday - July 18 will be a Linus Workday at Honey Bee Quilt Store from 10:30 - 4:00. Austin Sunshine Camp - July 16 and July 30 from 10:00 - 11:00 am are still available to help Austin Sunshine Camp setup for their upcoming weekly camp. Contact Jacie at jacie@sunshinecamps.org if you can help! Christmas in July Fabric Sale Our July meeting will be held on July 22 (note: this is the 4th Saturday, this month only) and we will be hosting our annual fabric sale. Fabric will be $10 per pound (approx. 3-4 yards of fabric makes a pound). Beginning at 9:00 am, we will be accepting blanket donations and from 10:00 - 12:00 the sale begins! Come stock up your stash and bring your fabric loving friends too! Demo Nancy provided our Demo this month and she showed how you can use up all your string scraps to make a great scrappy blanket. Show and Tell

Announcements July's meeting will be on the 4th Saturday! July 22!! Christmas in July Fabric Sale - July 22 July will be our annual Christmas in July Fabric Sale! Fabric will be priced at $10 per pound and all proceeds go directly to supporting The Linus Connection. Help at Sunshine Camp! The dates for these opportunities are: Sunday, June 11th from 10am -11am Sunday, June 25th from 10am-11am Sunday, July 16th from 10am-11am Sunday, July 30th from 10am-11am Contact jacie@sunshinecamps.org for more information Challenge Blanket Kits were handed out. If you missed grabbing one, there are still some available to pickup at a meeting. Recipient Facility Spotlight Royal Family Kids Camp - now "For the Children" For the Children Through a five-day summer camp, Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin fosters resiliency, self-esteem, hope and positive memories for area foster children who have experienced relational trauma. The curriculum and activities use Trust -Based Relational Intervention so that campers experience life giving activities all week. Royal Family KIDS of Austin, Texas is one of hundreds of chapters of For The Children. Founded in 1994, RFK Austin has served more than 1300 Central Texas foster children - always confronting abuse and changing lives. Previously, RFK had 2 program, the summer camp and a mentoring program. In late 202, they renamed to For the Children and expanded the program. Still continuing to evolve, but they are now helping provide school supplies, laptops, etc. shoes and clothes, assisting social workers and providing temporary housing. We have been giving blankets for the camp since the year 2000. since that time, we have donated over 1,374 blankets to them. Find out more here - https://www.forthechildren.org/ May Show and Tell

Demo - Strips and Bricks with Paula +April Show and Tell Pictures

Demo - Skateboard Quilt March Show and Tell

Demo - Leaders and Enders with Paula February Show and Tell

Show and Tell and Demo - Using Panels with Marge and Friends Marge handed out TONS of Panel Kits. See the examples below for how panels are used in quilts. Included in the pictures are the wonderful Show and Tell Blankets for January.

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This month we had our annual holiday party where we enjoyed each others company, ate a lot of Hershey's Kisses and grabbed some fat quarters. We also enjoyed a wonderful Show and Tell with the awesome blankets below. Happiest Holidays to All!