North Reading Community EarlyAct Comforts Kids

The North Reading Community EarlyAct Club recently completed its latest service project to benefit Project Linus.

The students hand sewed six blankets to donate to the organization. Project Linus provides, “love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need though the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteers.”

Youth Services Director Amy Luckiewicz commented, “We had a group talk about what things or people comfort us when we’re stick. Once the students heard that the blankets were for kids who were undergoing treatment, they immediately sympathized and the project really sunk in.”

The students prepared for the activity by debating what color and pattern combinations would be best for a range of ages. After three rounds of voting, the students selected their fabrics and began to hand craft the blankets. They were then donated to Project Linus which will, in turn, donate the blankets to one or two local hospitals. Children who are undergoing day treatments at the hospitals and need a little comfort are invited to select a blanket to keep.

Empathizing with project, one student commented, “If I was sick and away from my home, I’d want my blanket too.”

About the North Reading Community EarlyAct Club
The club is designed for students grades 3-5, representing all schools in North Reading. Based on a Rotary International model, the projects and meetings focus on the values of gratitude, community, leadership, commitment, and inclusion. The club meets twice per month to plan and implement a local or international humanitarian project. Initiated just this past March, the group was formed by 4 parent volunteers: Sandy Garniss, Samantha Miller, Karen Buscemi, and Leslie Schultz in partnership with North Reading Rotary Club’s Peter Majane and Director of Youth Services Amy Luckiewicz. For more information on how to register a student in the North Reading Community EarlyAct Club or its sister club at North Reading Middle School, email youthservices@northreadingma.gov or call Amy at 978.357.5281.