The James Biever Police-Community Alliance (JBPCA) has been working to provide comfort to children during traumatic situations.
The organization has partnered with local groups to place blankets, known as “Linus blankets,” in every police squad car in Lebanon County.
The blankets will be distributed to 15 local police departments and placed in over 81 patrol cars. The JBPCA’s goal is to provide a sense of warmth, comfort, and security to children during their interactions with police officers. The blankets are a step towards improving police-community relations and creating a more supportive environment for children during traumatic experiences.
The “Linus blanket” concept originated in the mid-1990s to help children who have been traumatized by various situations. The name is derived from the character Linus van Pelt, who carries a blanket for comfort in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz.
On March 31, students, faculty, and community members of Elizabethtown College participated in the college’s annual Day of Service in Thompson Gym. The event brought together 230 volunteers, some of whom spent their day making 201 blankets to be donated to the JBPCA. Other volunteers spent the day making 1,500 school kits to be distributed to local agencies Unto, Church World Service, and The Joshua Group.
JBPCA president Michelle Biever and Cornwall Borough Police Chief Brett Hopkins will help distribute the blankets. Biever will contact the chiefs of each department and may present at the chiefs’ monthly meeting.
In addition to Elizabethtown College, other community members who have helped in the past include Girl Scout Troops 71518 and 70430 from Palmyra, members from the Cedar Crest High School Key Club, and students from Lebanon Valley College.
A similar effort was conducted earlier this year for North Lebanon Township Police Department, when Ann Davis of North Lebanon Township donated six handmade quilts so that each of the department’s cruisers could be outfitted with a quilt.
Read More: NLTPD cruisers are now equipped with homemade quilts for children in distress
Find more information about the JBPCA on its website.
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