By JOYANNA LOVE/Senior Staff Writer

The Clanton Middle School FCCLA chose the Fleecing the Flock Blanket Drive as its most recent service project.

FCCLA sponsor Allyson Welborn said Fleecing the Flock was founded by Brenda Colburn in Helena, Alabama “to provide fleece blankets to all children in foster care in Alabama, and to be a resource for foster families/workers/facilities in need.”
“I wanted to participate in the blanket drive for Fleecing the Flock because I wanted to help people of my age have something handmade that was their very own. Sometimes these children have to leave homes with little notice and often what they had there is left behind. So, I wanted to share with them something they could take,” Shelby Heflin, an eighth-grade student, said.

Rather than simply purchasing products to donate the students invested time and creativity into creating fleece blankets. The club completed 50 blankets to donate.

Welborn helped the students secure the materials and the club received donations of materials.

“I chose patterns and colors that I thought looked good together,” Heflin said. “I learned how simple and quick it is to make something so meaningful for someone else.”
Tattum Huett, an eighth-grade student said she chose colors she liked from the fleece to create her blanket.

“It took me about an hour to complete one blanket on my own. When I was working on the blankets, it felt great to know that I was doing it for children in need,” Huett said.
Students cut the fleece material into on a and a half yard pieces.

“Next we lined up the fabric and cut a 2 inch square from each corner. Then we began cutting the fringe strips 2-3 inches long. Lastly we double knotted the two pieces together to make a no-sew fringed fleece blanket,”Heflin said.
Annabel Mullinax, an eight-grade student said the project took the club about three weeks to complete.
“I participated in this project because I felt that foster children should have something they can keep and cherish for themselves,” Mullinax said. “I also learned that doing something as simple as making a blanket can have a huge impact on others.”
“I wanted to participate because our FCCLA group wanted a way to give back to people that aren’t as fortunate as us. Mrs. Welborn had many designs laid out that we got to chose our favorite patterns, colors, deigns to make a blanket from,” Heather Liveoaok, an eighth-grade student, said. “Since I have made these type of blankets before with my mother at home, it took me about 30 minutes to complete one blanket.”
“It felt so wonderful to complete this project. I enjoy giving back to others,” Jasmine Stone, an eighth-grade student, said.

Fleecing the Flock hopes to collect more than 300 fleece blankets during this year’s blanket drive. For more information, or to get involved with Fleecing the Flock,
contact Colburn at Fleecingtheflockalabama@gmail.com, and
follow Fleecing the Flock on Facebook (@fleecingtheflock).