At Lyons Middle School during the Fall of 2023, Ms. Alicia Carlton and her afternoon classes focused on how they could give back to others. We decided we wanted to make more blankets for the Foster Care System. We purchased the blankets from My Very Own Blanket. The mission of My Very Own Blanket (MVOB) is “dedicated to warming the heart of every child in the foster care system and children in need with a blanket, to give them a feeling of comfort, security and most of all, a SMILE. Handmade blankets are created through the loving care of volunteers.”
We raised funds to purchase the materials to make blankets from MVOB by holding several school activities in the Fall for the student body as well as applying for a grant through South Central Community Foundation. Our classes received a grant from South Central Community Foundation (SCCF) for $722 to help with the costs. We appreciate the SCCF program for donating this money to help make it possible to complete our project and our goal to give back to the community. With the funds raised and received from SCCF, we had enough money to purchase 46 blankets.
This year we chose Central Kansas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) to donate the completed blankets to. Karly Fredrick, who is an advocate, volunteers on behalf of children who have experienced abuse or neglect. From their website we learn that Central Kansas CASA's purpose is to ensure that children are safe, have a permanent home and have the opportunity to thrive.
Between the fall and spring 2023 semesters of Ms. Carlton’s classes, we have donated 78 blankets to the program.
With new afternoon classes starting for spring semester 2024, we have begun brainstorming what we want to do to give back to the community and how we will raise enough money to do so. We look forward to the opportunity to give back to our community.