Guest: Jeanne Malgioglio

It's Binky Patrol's 30th anniversary. Susan Finch marks the week with a look back at how one mention on The Oprah Winfrey Show launched the organization into 48 states almost overnight. She invites every chapter and supporter to celebrate this Saturday, gather friends, finish a stash project or a UFO, and send photos of how they marked the milestone. Susan also introduces Comforting in Color, a flexible new project any group, school, church, or business can run. Plus a look back at three decades of memories: golf tournaments, a summer of community quilting at a Wells Fargo branch, the Founder's Day Parade, braille binkies for blind children, and two throwback clips revisiting the chaos and joy of Disney's Give a Day Get a Day program and a massive Girl Scout troop blanket drive. Thank you to the national partners who made 30 years possible.
 
Learn More: https://binkypatrol.org
Donate: https://binkypatrol.org/donate-to-binky-patrol 
More Ways to Help: https://binkypatrol.org/ways-to-help/ 
 
Thirty years national — One Oprah Winfrey Show mention launched Binky Patrol into roughly 48 states almost overnight.
Comforting in Color launch — A new flexible project any group, school, church, or business can run in their own space.
Anniversary celebration invite — Susan invites every chapter and supporter to mark the milestone this Saturday with friends and a stash project.
Time capsule reveal — Susan's chapter will finally open a sealed time capsule from the 1990s that's never been touched.
Early supporters thanked — Susan thanks founding-era volunteers and partners, including the original golf tournament organizers and a Wells Fargo branch that hosted a summer of community quilting.
Disney and Girl Scout memories — Two archived clips revisit the chaotic, joyful drop-off days from Disney's Give a Day Get a Day program and a massive Girl Scout troop blanket drive.

Four Binky Patrol directors — Miriam Siegel (Nebraska), Carolyn Berndt (Thousand Oaks), Terrie Madruga (Idaho), and Jeanne Malgioglio (Connecticut) — join founder Susan Finch for a 30th anniversary conversation that is equal parts laughter, tears, and gratitude.
"I'm here to help. Can't sew, but here I am." — Carolyn Berndt, arriving eight months pregnant to her first Binky meeting
You'll hear Miriam's story of finding a tiny newspaper ad and calling her mom instantly. Carolyn showing up eight months pregnant, unable to cut a straight line, and becoming a public speaking powerhouse. Terrie turning "I have no talent" into every volunteer having a title and a purpose. And Jeanne — the newest director — already mastering the art of moving 500 blankets across the country on donated trucks.
Missing today but never forgotten: Tom, Marlys, and Donna Serra — each one a quiet, steady force behind the mission.
This one will make you cry. In the best way.

Jeanne started her Connecticut chapter one town over from Newtown. After Sandy Hook, she and her friends made 3,000 green and white scarves. When it was over, everyone asked what was next. They found Binky Patrol. That was twelve years ago.
Barbara joined as the chapter's voice, connector, and fundraiser — rheumatoid arthritis in her hands, no shortage of heart. Together they've delivered blankets to 199 students after a classmate's murder, to a Florida family stranded in Connecticut ICU beds, to a young man with spinal muscular atrophy who was given a year to live and is now 21.
"All I want is for him to be remembered. When his friends say, 'What can we do for you, Barb?' I says, 'Don't forget his father. Don't forget me. But more importantly, don't ever forget him.'" - Barb
This year the Connecticut chapter is aiming to hit 30,000 total blankets — a number that lands squarely on Binky Patrol's 30th anniversary.
Listen and find chapter info at binkypatrol.org.

Jeanne Malgioglio has been running Binky Patrol's Connecticut chapter for years, and she's figured out something a lot of volunteers never do: how to ask for money without hating every second of it. In this episode, Susan Finch sits down with Jeanne to talk through what actually works when it comes to local fundraising — and what's mostly a waste of time.
Jeanne shares why she skips the big community foundation grant cycles (too many hoops, too many closed windows) and goes straight to Rotary clubs, utility companies, car dealerships, and local businesses that want to be part of something good. She walks through how she builds her outreach letters — short, authentic, and focused on a specific urgent need — and why she tailors each one rather than sending a generic blast.
They also dig into the power of Facebook community pages and neighborhood groups, how to make your events visible without being pushy, and how the next generation of volunteers — including students — are already taking initiative and learning to fundraise on their own.
If your chapter needs materials or money and you're not sure where to start, this one's for you.

In this segment from a recent Binky Patrol meeting, Area Coordinators who participated in the MrBallen Bink-a-Thon event share strategies for volunteer recruitment. Caitlin Peterson-Woolard discusses challenges with community outreach, while experienced coordinators Susan Finch, Terrie Madruga, Kathy Taylor, and Jeanne Malgioglio offer proven solutions including:
Leveraging church bulletins and service organizations
Engaging high school sports teams and clubs
Utilizing corporate volunteer programs
Maintaining relationships with past volunteers
Strategic use of social media and local publications
The discussion highlights immediate tactics and long-term relationship-building for expanding their volunteer base. We hope you find it helpful! So many ideas that only take a bit of time and digging for the best contacts.

In this first episode of our special two-part series, we're taking you inside our nationwide Bink-A-Thon debrief meeting, where chapter coordinators share their heartwarming stories from this year's MrBallen Foundation event. From Meridian, Idaho to Connecticut, from Southern California to Virginia, our volunteers united in their mission to create comfort one blanket at a time.
Join Susan Finch and chapter leaders, including Kathy Taylor from Irvine/Orange County, whose partnership with Girl Scouts doubled their volunteer turnout; Jeanne Malgioglio from Connecticut, whose team completed 145 blankets for Al's Angels and the Center for Family Justice; Director Terrie Madruga, who launched a new chapter in Meridian, ID with patriotic scarves for veterans; and Caitlin Peterson-Woolard from Woodbridge/Lexington, whose Girl Scout volunteers showed incredible enthusiasm, completing 15 blankets in just 30 minutes plus the 150 made the by the rest of the group. These stories showcase the power of community service and the impact of dedicated volunteers nationwide.
Learn more about Bink-A-Thons here.
Connect with the chapters featured in this episode here:
Jeanne Malgioglio - Monroe/Trumbull, CT
Caitlin Peterson - Lexington, VA
Terrie Madruga - Meridian, ID
Kathy Taylor - Irvine, CA
Susan Finch - Beaverton, OR
 
Thank you to the MrBallen Foundation for sponsoring this event!
 

Jeanne Malgioglio tells us about her outstanding week at her school. Her students were studying the book, "I Will Always Write Back" by authors Caitlin Alfirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch. It's a story of friendship, being open to new ideas across the globe and choosing to make things better. Jeanne's students embodied this theme by making over 70 blankets inspired by the story. One of the authors, Caitlin even made an appearance. Susan brought in her own middle school story. Shout out to Walker Jr. High in La Palma. We hope you enjoy this short episode.
Links from this episode:
Jeanne's Binky Patrol chapter page
Walker Jr. High
The book, "I Will Always Write Back."
 

October 28 seven states coordinated a national blanket-making event. They each chose who would receive the blankets they made. They all had one thing in common - the recipients would be children and teens who were victims of or traumatized by violent crimes. Listen to this episode to hear the stories from four states: Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Oregon.
We can help any group coordinate one of these events, even if there isn't a chapter near you. We've done this for remote teams, international teams, churches, quilt groups, service organizations, corporations large and small. If you want to bring the like-hearts near you together, consider a Bink-A-Thon.
This national event was sponsored by the MrBallen. Foundation. 
Links from this episode:
MrBallen.foundationBinky Patrol Comforting CoversTheAngelsInTheOutfield.orgCenter for Family JusticeMassachusetts Society for the Protection of ChildrenMission of DeedsCape Cod Children's CenterComfort CasesSecond-Story.orgProject HorizonPhillips Academy (andover.edu)Holy Trinity Catholic ChurchLoudon County Public LibraryPlanet PizzaDutch Bros. Coffee
 
Other sponsors included Planet Pizza in Connecticut, Dutch Bros. in Beaverton, Hoffman Fabrics, Embassy Suites in Tigard, OR and our host locations. Many hands, as the saying goes.