By: Eric Vander Woude –

You never know what friendships or connections a project might lead to later on in life. For junior Alyssa Johnson, it started with comforting her grandmother during her battle with cancer, and has led to providing blankets for pediatric patients throughout Lincoln.

With the guidance of her mother – Johnson has been volunteering since she was a toddler, but this time her project hits home as it stems from previous experiences not only in her family but others around them.

With the help of Modern Woodmen of America and many other community members, Johnson was able to lead the making of 50 tie blankets for pediatric patients battling cancer.

The idea first originated from a fellow member of Modern Woodmen. When the member’s mother was diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the hospital, she had received a tie blanket during her treatment. After seeing these acts of kindness, the memeber was inspired to find someone who would lead a project to make blankets for other patients in the hospitals.

Johnson gladly took the opportunity to lead the project after watching her grandma battle cancer earlier in the year. She didn’t know how much of an effect she was going to have on the patients, but hoped that they would know that somebody was watching out for them.

To the patients and parents, the tie blankets represent much more than just a physical item. “It’s a huge emotional lift, it’s something they can hold close to them and makes them feel better,” said Rhonda Brinkman, a member of St. Elizabeth’s volunteer services. “It’s something that they’re like ‘that’s for me’, in this world where everything costs something.”

Johnson would not have been able to complete the project without the help of 46 volunteers, and the generosity of the Lincoln community. In total, the 50 tie blankets took almost 147 hours to make. Each blanket takes about two and a half hours for one person to make and the felt fabric for each blanket is about $22.

Johnson started with a total of $850 to buy the felt fabric, a culmination of her family’s money and donations from Modern Woodmen. When other people heard of what she was doing, they pitched in an extra $250. With the extra money she was able to expand her buying options to better felts. “Some have Star Wars or Frozen designs, so they’re more personal,” she said.

Johnson hopes to make more tie blankets in the future and would like to have more people help out. To her, volunteering isn’t something she is being forced to do; it is a way for her to freely give and support a cause that she believes has a great effect on her community.