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When it comes to making a difference for others, local quilters and sewers have it covered.

Of the 65 Make A Difference Day projects registered so far, nine of them involve making blankets and quilts for children, soldiers or veterans.

DeAnne Bunevich, a certified child life specialist at Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley in Boardman, is one of several hospital employees who sees first-hand the effect the blankets have on children and their parents. She said the blankets are given to children from babies to teens who will be staying at the facility for more than a day or two.

"The reaction we usually get is, 'Really? I get to keep it?' These kids can't believe that someone would take the time to make a blanket for a complete stranger," Bunevich said.

Project Linus at Tod United Methodist Church in Warren is one of the groups making quilts for hospitalized children for its Make A Difference Day project. Quilters also are making them for children at Hospice of the Valley bereavement camp, Someplace Safe domestic violence shelter in Warren and Sojourner House in Youngstown.

However, Bunevich said quilters from Project Linus, as well as Blankets of Love and area churches make and donate blankets all year long, not just for Make A Difference Day.

"We get 1,500 blankets each year between all the groups and they come in periodically throughout the year, but we get a big boost from Make A Difference Day," she said.

Make A Difference Day, a national day of caring and volunteerism, is sponsored by USA Weekend Magazine and the Points of Light Foundation and is held the fourth Saturday of October each year. This year, the 19th annual Make A Difference Day is set for Oct. 24.

The Trumbull County event is sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle, and this will be the newspaper's seventh year of sponsorship.

Bunevich said she likes to find out what a child likes so she can match a blanket to their favorite color or activity.

Linda Fabrizio from Blankets of Love said her organization has distributed more than 4,000 blankets to area hospitals so far this year. She said some of them are made by volunteers at the organization's headquarters at Domestic Sewing Center and others are made by private individuals who drop them off at the business.

The blankets are given to Akron Children's Hospital, St. Joseph Health Center, Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Children's Rehabilitation Center and Trumbull County Children's Services. The organization also makes hats and scarves, as well as dog and cat beds for the Animal Welfare League and Angels for Animals.

"Sometimes, people donate fabric that is not suitable for children's blankets and we use that for the pet beds. All of our fabric is donated and we don't waste an inch," Fabrizio said.

Cynthia Mason, a caseworker at Children's Services, said a lot of people give donations, but the children really appreciate the blankets because they know someone took the time to make them.

"It is something for them to hold onto," Mason said.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church Christian Fellowship Group recently made nearly 100 blankets for Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley, which were given to children in the emergency room. The group is knitting and crocheting more blankets for its Make A Difference Day project and has made blankets in the past for veterans and nursing home residents.

Volunteers at Leavittsburg Baptist Church will make fleece-tied blankets to donate to Children's Services. She said this the fourth year the church has participated in Make A Difference Day, but the volunteers tied blankets for Blankets of Love the past three years.

This year, the group is making their own blankets under the direction of Michele Thompson. She said she came up with the idea after finding out that four of the seven children in the church's nursery were in foster care.

"It's a nice thing for the kids to take with them wherever they go," Thompson said.

Other groups and individuals making blankets and other items for Make A Difference Day include:

• The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 699 in Leavittsburg will make quilts for wounded troops in hospitals overseas and baby quilts that will be donated to Life Skills Center and Catholic Charities.

• Anna Irene Noble of Leavittsburg will make fleece-tied blankets for needy children and babies.

• Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit 11 is making lap robes to distribute to 19 local nursing homes.

• Tracy Hartman of Warren will crochet blankets for the Warren Family Mission.

• Trumbull Retired Teachers Association will make afghans for the Warren Family Mission, hats and scarves for SCOPE and caps for infants at St. Joseph Health Center and Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

mkosinski@tribtoday.com