Wednesday, August 20, 2008

ECCC Volunteer Ambassadors to Present Blankets to Patients During National Volunteer Week

The Volunteer Ambassadors of the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center will begin to present lap blankets to patients receiving treatment at the center during National Volunteer Week, which takes place April 15 through 21.

The blankets were made and paid for by the ambassadors. "Making the blankets for the patients is a very rewarding experience," said Jane Browning, a volunteer ambassador and coordinator of the blanket project. "We enjoyed a lot of friendship while making the blankets and look forward to presenting them to the patients. It is an honor to give comfort to these courageous people who have chosen to come to the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center for healing."

The project started with 42 blankets and will continue beyond National Volunteer Week. It started with 42 blankets that were made and paid for by the ambassadors, but now they need help to continue the project.

"We will need the community's help to keep the project going so that each patient will receive a blanket," Browning said. "Along with individual donations, we hope to find some corporate sponsors who will come on board and help us with larger donations."

Each blanket is 60 by 48 inches and costs $15 to make. There are many different patterns for men, women and children, and 100 percent of any donation is used for purchasing materials for the blankets. The blankets will include a tag that will indicate if they were made in honor or memory of someone, along with the names of the people who paid for the material to make them.

Anyone who would like to help pay for the materials to make a blanket can send a donation to the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center c/o Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation, 1340 Hal Greer Boulevard, Huntington, WV 25701. Donors are asked to write "Lap Blanket Project" on the memo line of their checks. More information is available by calling Jane Browning at (304) 544-6275.