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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

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

July was our first annual fabric sale. All money raised helps support our blanket making needs. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this a success and to all those who bought fabric to support the organization!

Demo - Cats and Dogs with Paula Show and Tell

Special Guest The Linus Connection was honored to have a special visitor during Saturday's meeting! Madison from Presbyterian Children's Homes & Services joined us and shared a little about what her organization does. Thank you, Madison! Find out more about the organization here! https://www.pchas.org/ Demo - Jumbo Log Cabin Ideas Show and Tell

Every October we celebrate The Linus Connection's birthday with a Quilt Challenge and Silent Auction. All money raised goes to support The Linus Organization for our blanket making supplies, our storage unit, printing and office supplies and much much more! The Challenge Fabric was a donation from Noelann Brown's estate and this Challenge is dedicated to her memory. Thank you to Osie for organizing the Challenge for the 18th year and thank you to all the volunteers who pitched in to make this happen! Some of our newest blanket makers from the North American Taiwanese Women's Association shared a $500 donation from their group as well as $100 in personal donations. Thank you, ladies, we're delighted to have you as our volunteers! Thank you to everyone who donated items, especially Hobbs Bonded Fibers for a roll of their wonderful 80/20 Heirloom Batting, and to all those wonderful individuals who donated items both large and small, baskets, and more, all to support our non-profit. Every single donation makes this happen! Thanks also go out to Jennifer for organizing, and huge thanks to Sarah, Sheryl, Carol, & Susan for helping build 71 Silent Auction Baskets. Big thanks also to Suzanne and everyone else who helped us push through to the end! The biggest thank you goes out to our bidders for always making this a fun event and for your continued support of The Linus Connection. ♥

Demo - Scrappy Happy with Sarah, Sheryl, Eileen and Carole November Show and Tell

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!

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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.

Demo - Leaders and Enders with Paula February Show and Tell