Working to help children in distress		News Leader Photo/Kimberly Lewis Minerva Coordinator Brandy Miller and her daughter, Brianna show some of the blankets donated to the Minerva Area Chapter of Binky Patrol. Binky Patrol looking for help The Minerva Area Chapter of Binky Patrol provides comfort to needy children by giving them homemade blankets. The chapter accepts monetary donations which are used to purchase materials and postage. Extra batting, yarn, soft fabric, notions, promotional materials, labels or postage can also be donated. To make a donation or for information you may call Brandy Miller at 330-868-6477 or Alliance Area Coordinator Betty Jones at 330-525-0196 or visit them at www.geocities.com/minervabinky.
By KIMBERLY LEWIS News Leader Staff Writer ���Sometimes fate intervenes. ������Brandy Miller arrived in Miner�va after her husband, Sgt. Mark Miller of the U.S. Marine Corps, was re-assigned to Alliance as a recruiter in November of 1999. ����It was a tough adjustment,� Brandy admits. A new mother of a daughter, Brianna, and far away from the Washington, D.C. area where she had lived for seven years, Brandy found a non-profit organization called Binky Patrol on the Internet. ���Binky Patrol�s mission is to �reach out to needy children, ihcluding HIV-positive, drug- addicted, neglected, abused or children experiencing trauma in any way� by providing the chil�dren and teens with handmade blankets. ���Brandy was asked to start a local chapter. �I was over�whelmed at first,� she says. A major drawback was she doesn�t know how to make blankets. ���Remember, fate. Betty Jones had recently moved to the Beloit area from Maryland. A member of a Maryland chapter, the Ohio native was going to start a new chapter in Alliance. ���Together, Brandy and Betty formed the Minerva Area Chap�ter of Binky Patrol. Brandy believes the two compliment each other: Betty likes to cro�chet and Brandy likes to talk about the program. ���Brandy lauds the flexibility of the program. �There are no set guidelines. You don�t have set hours and you don�t have to attend meetings,� she explains. �You don�t have to commit to a lot of things.� ���The chapter now has 30	volun�teers who sew, quilt, crochet and knit blankets for area children. �It�s their chapter It is not because of us, it�s because of them. It�s because they want to help the children,� Brandy says. ���Unfortunately, many �love to make blankets, but don�t have the funds to make them,� Brandy says. This is where donations help. the chapter accepts mone�tary donations which are used for postage or to purchase mate�rials. The chapter �operates on a little money,� she explains. ���Resource people are also need�ed. These are people who donate soft fabrics, yarn, batting or notions to the chapter All dona�tions are tax-deductible. ���Volunteers are also assigned different newspapers to look for articles on children who may need the comfort of a blanket. ���Community input is helpful as well. �We can�t always promise, but we will try (to get binkies to suggested children),� Brandy says. Volunteers are able to choose the organizations to which the binkies are given. Among the organizations are Alliance Domestic Violence Shel�ter, Alliance Pregnancy Center and Columbiana County�s Christina House. ���The chapter has distributed 135 blankets since August.They hold meetings on the third Fri�day of each month at 6 p.m. at Minerva United Methodist Church, 204 N. Main St. A monthly newsletter is published and is available at the chapter website www.geocities.com/min�ervabinky, which includes a list of donors and links to the national headquarters. ���Each blanket can make a dif�ference in a child�s life, Brandy believes. You can�t change a child�s life, but you can hope to make it bet�ter,� she says.