It’s the season of giving and many groups on campus are going above and beyond in order to make a difference in the community. Colorado Mesa University’s Circle K International is one student club in particular that’s proved time and time again that giving is the reason for the season.
For seven consecutive years, CMU’s Circle K International has partnered with the local chapter of the nonprofit Project Linus to make blankets for local children. This time around, on November 5, the club, together with other student and community volunteers, surprised even themselves. Their goal was to make 65 blankets that would later comfort children in local hospitals, and instead they made over 70.
“We made a whole bunch of blankets and then we had some people who couldn’t be at the event bring handmade blankets,” said CMU Circle K International President Carmen Pavlovsky.
The mission behind Project Linus is to provide warmth and comfort through the gift of a handmade blanket to children battling serious illnesses and other traumas. The nonprofit was started in 1995 by Karen Loucks. She donated handmade blankets to Denver’s Rocky Mountain Children’s Cancer Center after reading about a child named Laura and her fight against cancer, and how a special blanket helped her feel more at home. Since then, Project Linus has grown and is estimated to have 80,000 volunteers nationwide.
CMU’s Circle K International is the collegiate division of Kiwanis International, a worldwide organization that helps serve communities by serving its children. So it’s no surprise the group takes on the challenge each year to make blankets for local children in need. But Project Linus isn’t the only way the organization gives back. Throughout the years, club members have served the community through canned food drives for the Kids Aid Backpack program. They’ve volunteered at Trick-or-Treat Street and for Mav Rides. The club meets every week to continue their work on making the community and campus a better place.