Need a service project idea?
Here is one from the ladies in my local church.
They made no-sew fleece blankets to donate to the children at the
Utah County Children's Justice Center.
About the Utah County Children's Justice Center:
The Children's Justice Center is a homelike facility that helps children and families of abuse.
A child stays in this facility when there is an allegation of child abuse or when a child witnesses a crime.
The program is designed to help deal with the trauma associated with such events and help the child feel safe.
Those affected by the alleged abuse are given a place to stay during the investigation as well as counseling services.
The Children's Justice Center is a public/private partnership, meaning they receive some state funding, but also rely on private donations to run the program.
You can learn more about the Utah County Children's Justice Center here.
About the project:
The service project was a simple one and one that would be easy for any size group to do.
They purchased fleece and cut to an appropriate size for a child.
{Go here for sizing and measurements.} The fringed edges were cut in advance and then as a group, the ladies tied the fringe into knots to finish off the blankets.
You can do either a single layer of fleece or a double.
In order to keep costs down and maximize the money they had budgeted for this project, they purchased the fleece when it was on sale and even used one of those famous coupons.
It was a fairly quick evening, (although I'm sure it took some time for the prep work of snipping the edges, but I think that could be done during the project if you needed.)
This would even be a doable project for youth -- all you have to do is tie a single knot. Quite simple.
For tutorial/instructions and measurements, try here or here.
One thing to think about when donating anything to a facility or organization is to ask ahead of time if they need a minimum donation.
The Children's Justice Center did not need a minimum donation, so anything you would like to give would be appreciated. That makes this a good project for a small group (maybe for a family to do at Christmas time.)
They also rotate the children who are in and out of the program, so there is always a need and the children are frequently different.
This is Hannah, one of the lovelies that arranged this activity.
Here is the other lovely, Stephanie.
The Children's Justice Center heavily depends on private donations to keep things running well.
They also depend on volunteers and child mentors.
To learn more about the ways you can help as a child mentor or volunteer go here for the information. If you would like to donate money to them directly you can go here. If you would like to contact them to provide a donation similar to these blankets, you can go here for the contact info.
You can also go here to the FRIENDS of the Utah County Children's Justice Center, a private, non-profit corporation providing support and fundraising for the CJC, You can donate to them here in their efforts to support the CJC or find other ways to help and support.
Not local?
Go here to the National Children's Alliance to find a program in your area and find out more about Children's Advocacy. (Click on the locator in the orange bar near the top of the page.)
