From left: Malinda Jones, Jerry Berglin, Ruth Miller, Margaret Nelson, Marianee Wessoly, Ruby Glickerman, Lena Gregory, Judy Conover, Larry Martin and Pat Cooper. Not pictured: Greta Lane and Rosemary Meyer.

Friendship Manor residents are friends in deed [August 14, 2013]  Every baby born at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital leaves with a handmade baby blanket, thanks to the residents of Friendship Manor. Friendship Manor residents have been donating their time and talents to the hospital for this project for close to two years. The volunteers have made approximately 450 blankets.

The blankets are made with fabrics donated by local individuals. Some quilts are sold and the revenue is used to purchase more materials.

"We at Friendship Manor always look forward to quilting the baby blankets for all the newborns," said Ruth Miller, a Friendship Manor resident.

Creating blankets for ALMH babies has become a popular hobby for many Friendship Manor residents. In fact, a special room has been set aside that allows residents to work on the blankets anytime, day or night. The room is organized in assembly-line fashion, ready and waiting with batting, fabric and sewing supplies. While baby designs are the most popular, the volunteers also make holiday-themed blankets and some adult "throws."

Any interested individuals who may want to donate clean fabric or baby-themed fabric or batting to the project should contact Jerry Berglin at Friendship Manor. Berglin can be reached at 217-732-9647.

ALMH, at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, is a 25-bed critical-access hospital affiliated with Memorial Health System. The hospital employs 315 in a variety of roles. For more information, visit www.almh.org.