BLANKET OF DREAMS Keeping Our Homeless Warm Every Winter

Be a part of this 22 year tradition! You can make a blanket too for those in need!

BY RESIDENT TERI COLLINS

MEET TERI COLLINS, one of the organizers of Blanket of Dreams.

How long have you been doing this and tell us how it started? We have been doing Blanket of Dreams for 22 years. It started as a one-day project to sew blankets for the homeless. It was sponsored by the Women’s Group at Mary, Seat of Wisdom “Counsel of Catholic Women.” We had about 12 sewing machines going with approximately 20 - 30 women helping and we sewed squares together to make a blanket. That year we made 59 blankets. About halfway through the day, someone asked me when we were going to do it the next year and the project was born. We have been doing it ever since but we have changed the type of blankets we make to cut and tie fleece blankets so you don’t have to know how to sew to make a blanket. Every year we made more blankets to where our average total for a day is around 600 -700 blankets. Many of the original sewers have passed away and the kids working with us have grown up and now bring their children to it.

Why is it so important to our community? There are a couple of benefits to our community. It allows people of Park Ridge to come together to do a service project that helps others less fortunate and it’s a great way to kick off the holidays because it is always the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The camaraderie and fellowship that you get from doing a service project for others is one of the intangible gifts you give yourself that is nothing but good all the way around - for the blanket makers and for the recipients. Another benefit is that you can make new friends. It is a very welcoming and joyful day. We try to make everyone comfortable by serving free refreshments to our blanket makers while they are with us. People come and learn how to make a blanket and then they can work with others to show them how to make one, and on and on.

Is there a way that others can get involved or support your organization?

Yes, come and make a blanket (or two or three) with us on November 23, anytime between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm at the Clark Ministry Center at 1335 South Clifton at Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish. Bring 4 yards of fleece - most people buy two yards of a solid and two yards of a print and a pair of scissors to cut material. If you cannot afford it, we have some you can use. You can come any time, no need to make an appointment. Come for an hour or stay all day and bring your friends. It is a great intergenerational project. We have several grandmas who bring their grandchildren to make blankets with them. All children must have an adult with them (troop leader, parents, etc.).

I think the ideal age to start is at age 8 because by then kids can cut and tie by themselves. Families, Scout Troops, sports teams, civic organizations, work groups, friend groups, are examples of some of the people who have participated. It’s definitely not just women. We have many boys and men participate. If you own a restaurant or food service business, you could donate some food for the workers. If you cannot come, you can make a cash donation to Mary, Seat of Wisdom Blanket of Dreams help with supplies or go and buy some fleece and drop it off at the Parish Business Office at 920 Granville, Park Ridge. Blankets are being donated to The Franciscan Outreach, La Casa Norte and Our Lady of Angels Parish which all serve the homeless and less fortunate in Chicago.

Are there any important events coming up with your organization?

Women of Hope and Wisdom at Mary Seat do many service projects throughout the year like parish food drives and donating gifts to the less fortunate at Christmas time.

What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for my family and for living in a community that is so generous and supportive of good causes. I am also grateful for all of the people who have supported Blanket of

Dreams over the years. It takes many people to make Blanket of Dreams happen so smoothly. There are the blanket makers, the staff at Mary Seat of Wisdom who help facilitate the use of the facility, the guilds who donate food for the participants, the Knights of Columbus who help pack up the blankets and deliver them to their respective organizations, Ascension Resurrection for their donation to buy fleece material and my husband, Peter and my daughter, Katie and all of my friends who have helped with anything and everything to make this happen year after year. Big Thanks to Father Derek, Joan Mattingly, Julie Due, Gene, Jean Martino, Dom Colletti, all the women who come to cut the fleece the night before, Tony Viola and I know I am forgetting many other people who are such helpers and doers!

For more information or to support the effort, check out www.blanketofdreams.com