Events

The Project Linus mission is to provide handmade blankets to children aged 0-18 in the United States who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.  There are chapters in every state with Texas having approximately 17 chapters. The national website is https://projectlinus.org 

Our chapter, Brazos Valley, covers the Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Waller and Washington counties. Our blankets are distributed locally to organizations that support children. From time-to-time blankets may be shipped to other areas in the United States that may have an immediate extraordinary need. Some of the local organizations we distribute our blankets to are: Ronald McDonald House, Hope Pregnancy Center, Phoebes Home, Hope Locker - Bryan ISD, Casa (Bryan and Brenham when requested) and Chrissy’ Closet – College Station ISD (new).  

Our chapter makes machine quilted and knitted or crocheted blankets. Blankets are hand-made from new fabric or yarn by local volunteers. Blankets are dropped off at Sew Vac City in College Station, JoAnn’s Fabric in Bryan or at our monthly meetings at Sew Vac City.  Our chapter meets at 10AM on the 3rd Tuesday each month at Sew Vac City. Attending the meetings is not a requirement to be a member. You do not have to be a member to donate to the Brazos Valley chapter. 

You can make a real difference in so many ways by donating monetarily to Project Linus. We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Monies are used for purchasing blanket supplies. Our chapter also welcomes donated materials to make blankets such as quilt batting, cotton fabric, or acrylic or cotton yarn. We also welcome information on additional organizations that we could provide blankets to for children in need. 

We have cancelled this meeting due to Gate12 not have availability. 

Luis Villanueva

Captain of the Salvation Army. Salvation Army Day is March 10th.

Luis is from Chile, South America. His parents are Salvation Army officers so he was able to experience a lot of the ministry with different cultures and backgrounds growing up. He got his degree in translating English and Spanish. After eight months of working through the visa process he stepped foot on US ground in Salt Lake City in 2007. 

When he was working for the Western Territory all of a sudden his visa was terminated, and he had to go back to Chile. One year passed, and then the Waxahachie Corps was looking for a youth worker. They saw his resume, called him and eight months later, he's here in the Texas Division with people that he doesn't know. 

He and his wife knew that they had a calling to be Salvation Army officers but they didn't know what was going to happen. They were in Texas, and met Major Betty Jo MacDonald, who attended their corps. After a year, she said, "I think you guys have a calling to be officers." They talked about their calling, and she said, "Sure enough!" 

His advice to anyone who God has been called to be an officer is to pray! Let God confirm you, at least two or three times. If you're not sure that this is what God wants from you, instead of being a help it could be a problem for you and your family. Pray and ask God for confirmation through the Scripture and through people. It can be the greatest ministry in your life if it is a calling because God will sustain you in all those years, whether good or bad. 

Being a Salvation Army officer is totally different than only being a pastor. That's something he learned. It is a lot of work. But this is going to be the greatest opportunity that you have to impact as many people you encounter. 

This was adapted from the Salvation Army website, you can read the original here.

Get to know youe fellow Rotarians - We will have a special introduction and a couple of members will be sharing.

Kevin Joyner is the Chief Information Security Officer at Brazos County. He been there six years, but has over 25 years of experience in IT, with almost 20 of that in municipal government. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Computer Science and has had a consistent and abiding interest in security since the earliest days of the internet in the 80s.

He is married and has 5 children, all boys, that range in age from 26 to 7. He is involved in his church, where he occasionally fills in for the pastor, and staying active with his kids' activities. He hopes to one day discover this foreign concept called “free-time.”

Our nonprofit offers essential support and resources to crime victims and their families, and the law enforcements that serve us all.