Although this project involves crocheting afghans, you don't need to know how to crochet to get involved in it. The project involves crocheting either granny squares or whole afghans. The afghans are child/baby size, and are donated to places like children's hospitals, pregnancy crisis centers, the Red Cross, and other places that distribute afghans to children or families in need. The idea of the project is to give a sick child an afghan they can keep and feel warm and safe under (sort of like the way Linus in the Peanuts cartoons holds on to his blanket). The afghans also go to pregnancy crisis centers were they are distributed to new mothers who may not otherwise be able to afford an afghan or blanket for their new baby. If you don't crochet, you can still be involved by donating yarn for use in this project. A 3 oz. skein of yarn will cost less then $1 and a baby size afghan can be made out of about 6 skeins of yarn. When you donate yarn (or money to buy yarn), the yarn is then distributed to members who like to crochet. These crocheters will make the afghans and the Afghan Project Leader will see that the afghans are distributed to the separate charities and hospitals.

Besides the general duties of a Project Leader, the Afghan Project Leader will collect yarn and distribute it to members who will crochet the afghans. The Project Leader will also purchase yarn with money donated for that purpose. She/He will also crochet afghans if interested in crocheting, but it is not necessary that the Project Leader actually do the crocheting unless she/he wants to. The Project Leader will also collect the finished afghans and distribute them to various charities where they will be distributed to children and babies.

Most afghans are created in infant or child size ... approximately 4 feet square. The following is a list of how many afghans have been donated over the years.

1999 - 14 afghans donated

2000 - 12 afghans donated

2001 - 12 afghans donated

2002 - 24 afghans donated

2003 - 25 afghans donated

2004 - we've already started working on more to ship this year.

2005 - 43 baby blankets; 6 baby shawls; 9 blanket-bootie-beanie sets; 87 beanie-bootie sets; 31 beanies; 2 pair of booties; 50 afghans; 8 dolls; 4 Teddy bears; and 1 crib blanket donated