Bethel Park High School sophomores Marisa Whitmer and Emma Farrell are combining their marketing skills and community spirit to support Project Linus, an organization that provides handmade blankets to infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) throughout the region.
The Marketing II students have organized a two-week yarn drive to collect materials for blankets. Collection bins are set up in the high school, at the community center, and at the Spencer YMCA. Whitmer and Farrell also plan to host future class sessions to teach students how to work with yarn, with support from the STAND Club and hopes to collaborate with the school’s sewing class.
The project is personal for the Farrell family. Emma’s older sister, Abby Farrell, was born a month early and spent a month in the NICU. Project Linus has previously donated blankets to their family, and the students see this initiative as a way to “pay it forward.”
“We chose this project because it’s close to home and something we can relate to,” Whitmer said. “Even though we have only basic experience with yarn from art class, we’re excited to learn and make a difference for babies and families in need.”
Participants are asked to donate Red Heart or I Love This Yarn, both available at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. The students will coordinate with Lois Misko of South Hills Project Linus to ensure the blankets meet specifications.
DECA, a career and technical student organization that helps students develop leadership, business, and marketing skills through real-world projects, will consider Whitmer and Farrell’s work in the Community Giving category at the 2026 DECA State Conference in Hershey in February.
The students hope the community will join them in creating blankets that bring literal and communal warmth and comfort to infants and their families.
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