Thank you to Prime Healthcare/Resurrection that donated $3000 toward the purchase of fleece!
Thank you to MSW's Social Concerns Ministry that also donated $3000 toward the purchase of fleece.
WHW raised its investment in fleece to $1000 this year.
THANK YOU to EVERYONE that helped with set-up Friday night. A HUGE crew of Maine South Key Club members came and helped set up tables, hauled fleece down to Barry Gym, cut more fleece, MADE some blankets themselves and helped decorate the Ministry Center.
THANK YOU to the wonderful team of cutters that worked three separate days in the weeks beforehand to cut bolts of fleece into 2-yard increments.
Thank you to Peter Cato who manned the WELCOME table, encouraging people to sign in, prepared ornaments and labels and who created the Christmas ambience in the CMC Living Room for all to enjoy and they arrived and left.
Thank you to those that helped with setting out the signs on Saturday morning (and collecting them at the end of the day). And to Holy Family Guild members that set up breakfast things and coffee to give us a good start.
Thank you to Mary & Martha Guild members that provided sandwiches, fruit and cookies to keep fueling all the blanket-makers. Thank you to Joan Mattingly and Cathy McCormick for circulating the sign up genius for help and food. Thank you to the team that kept the kitchen in good order ( especially Colleen Forsythe who stayed the whole day), refreshed the snack trays and cleaned up at the end of the day.
Thank you to Knights of Columbus members that rallied at 6 PM to count, sort and bag hundreds of blankets (and helped returning Key Clubbers to take down tables and clean up).
Thank you to Father Derek who came and blessed the fruit of our labors.
Thank you to Tony Viola for tracking down a box truck, supervising its loading and then making the delivery to Franciscan Outreach with Jim Forde.
Thank you to the "volunteers" who were enticed to help load the truck!
Thank you to Tom Gawne and Rich Roller who loaded up blankets for delivery to Our Lady of Angels.
MOST OF ALL, THANK YOU TO THE HUNDREDS that came to make blankets both on-site and off-site.
It takes a Village!
And BIGGEST THANK YOU to Teri Collins for dreaming up this project and being the force behind it for SO many years.
The day's totals:
Over 600 participants!
759 blankets!
(a few were found in the CMC Chapel on Monday!)
600 blankets were delivered to Franciscan Outreach
154 blankets have been set aside for Our Lady of Angels Mission.
5 blankets delivered to MSW's Social Concerns for distribution
Blankets will be given to Resurrection Med Center ER for the homeless who come in
REST UP! Next year will come all too quickly!
Blanket of Dreams is an event that was created by the CCW group over 20 years ago at Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge, Illinois. It is a day long service event always on the Saturday before Thanksgiving where hundreds of community members come together to make fleece blankets for the homeless. A great intergenerational event wher
Blanket of Dreams is an event that was created by the CCW group over 20 years ago at Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish in Park Ridge, Illinois. It is a day long service event always on the Saturday before Thanksgiving where hundreds of community members come together to make fleece blankets for the homeless. A great intergenerational event where everyone is invited. All you have to do is bring 4 yards of fleece ( preferably in two 2 yard pieces) and a pair of scissors to cut fabric. There is no need to know how to sew. You can come whenever you want between 8 am and 6pm and stay as long as you can! We provide free refreshments for all of our blanket makers throughout the day. We donate our blankets to Franciscan Outreach in Lawndale and Pilsen (who service more than 350 homeless persons/day), Casa Norte in Humboldt Park and Our Lady of Angels parish.
Here is how to make a blanket:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/a44628176/how-to-make-fleece-tie-blanket/
Everyone of all ages from any community is invited to join us in making blankets! Come and make a new friend! Families, friend groups, scouts, teams, grandparents and grandchildren, work groups looking for a team building project. We can sign off on service hours if you need it.
You don't have to know how to sew or know how to make a bla
Everyone of all ages from any community is invited to join us in making blankets! Come and make a new friend! Families, friend groups, scouts, teams, grandparents and grandchildren, work groups looking for a team building project. We can sign off on service hours if you need it.
You don't have to know how to sew or know how to make a blanket - we'll show you how. If you do sew, feel free to bring your sewing machine and help us sew remnants together so we can maximize the use of the fleece.
Donations of fleece are always needed. You can drop off fleece or monetary donations at the Mary Seat of Wisdom office at 920 Granville in Park Ridge.
Thank you to Ascension Health and MSW for funding 150 blankets in 2025! We made 759 blankets which went to Franciscan Outreach, and Our Lady of Angels Parish. Donations of fleece or monetary donations are always welcome and can be dropped off at:
Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish
920 Granville
Park Ridge, Illinois 60068
Blanket of Dreams is at
Clark Ministry Center
Mary Seat of Wisdom Parish
1335 South Clifton Avenue
Park Ridge, Illinois 60068
1335 South Clifton Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068, United States
Call or Email us at: 847-825-3153 tcato3@gmail.com