All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol

Susan Finch - Binky Patrol
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This show is about the ability to run a non-profit from the heart with a sense of humor and still be successful. We interview our volunteers, partners, and other non-profits to learn from each other, and support each other as we bring love and hope to our communities. Binky Patrol is a 100% volunteer grassroots 501c3 founded in 1996. Binky Patrol makes blankets and gives them away to children and teens in need of a reminder that they matter, are not invisible and that someone cares. We give to children who are ill, abused, or in trauma.

  1. 17 June

    EP97: 30 Years of Making & Giving Blankets - Oprah, Disney, Girl Scouts and more!

    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.

    11 min

  2. 8 June

    EP96: Directors Reflect: 30 Years of Comforting Covers

    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.

    31 min

  3. 26 May

    EP95: The Chapter That Started After Sandy Hook and Never Stopped

    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.

    31 min

  4. 19 May

    EP94: New Chapters, Big Hearts, and a Milestone June

    Five new Binky Patrol chapters have launched — St. Marys, Georgia; Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; Janesville, Wisconsin; Sharon, Wisconsin; and a drop-off location near Oregon State University in Corvallis. Pennsylvania's newest chapter made 86 blankets at their very first Binkathon, with a football team and student volunteers showing up to help. June 20th marks Binky Patrol's official 30th anniversary — the date a shout-out on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 turned a 30-day-old Laguna Beach group into a national organization, triggering 800+ calls in 48 hours. Some of those original chapters are still active. Oregon volunteers: storage cleanout is this Saturday. Fleece, flannel, cotton, batting, and soft washable yarn only. No stretchy fabric, no sheer curtains, no burlap. The October Binkathon is open to all chapters. Find yours — or start one — at binkypatrol.org. [00:00:00] Welcome and new chapters overview [00:00:26] New chapter — St. Marys, Georgia (Latoya Wertz, St. Mary's Senior Activity Center) [00:00:49] New chapter — Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania (Pamela Scandale, 86-blanket first Binkathon) [00:01:12] New chapter — Janesville, Wisconsin (Dylan Thomas, Bodacious Brew Coffee Shop) [00:01:32] New chapter — Sharon, Wisconsin (Sherri Farning) [00:01:52] New chapter — Corvallis, Oregon drop-off near Oregon State University (Rania, Ryan, Zoe) [00:02:14] Mr. Ballen Grant and private donation funding social and chapter growth [00:02:45] Oregon storage unit cleanout — this Saturday; fabric needs [00:03:30] June 20th 30th anniversary preparation [00:03:41] The 1996 Oprah Winfrey Show mention and what happened next [00:04:06] 800+ calls in two days; original chapters still active [00:04:41] Mission — blankets as a reminder that kids matter [00:05:01] October Binkathon — find or host an event at binkypatrol.org [00:05:18] Final call to action — join, volunteer, start a chapter

    6 min

  5. 8 Apr

    EP93: From 27 Kids to 2,000: How Experience Camps Grows a Grief Sanctuary

    When Liza Buck followed a stranger's car down a dirt road into the Maine woods as an 18-year-old, she had no idea she was headed to a grief camp. She thought she was going to lifeguard. That accidental detour became her life's work. Liza is now on staff full time at Experience Camps, a nonprofit founded in 2009 that provides free week-long programs for children who have lost a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. What started with 27 kids in Maine now serves nearly 2,000 children a summer across 16 programs in 8 states. In this conversation, Liza and Susan talk about what grieving children actually need, why the first question you ask matters more than almost anything else, and how a camper's fishbowl analogy captures something most adults spend years trying to articulate. They also talk about anger as a legitimate part of grief, the value of saying the words "death" and "dying" out loud, and what it looked like when a Binky Patrol blanket showed up on a 30-degree May night in Connecticut. Liza shares how volunteers can get involved, where camps are located, and what families need to know about applying. experiencecamps.org binkypatrol.org Liza Buck Liza has been a teacher, CAD counselor, and has been involved with Experience Camps since 2014, beginning as a bunk counselor and then operating as the Program Director for Experience Camps in California. In addition to her teaching degrees, she earned her MSW at the University of Maine and is a licensed master social worker. Liza has a passion for kids and mission-driven work which is why Experience Camps feels like “home.” When she's not doing "the best work ever," you can find her with her dog or baking cookies.   Liza Buck, LMSW  Senior National Camp Manager (she/her)  (207) 554-0348  liza@experiencecamps.org experiencecamps.org | @experiencecamps

    23 min

  6. 18 Mar

    EP92: March 2026 Update - Tornados, Seniors, Bink-A-Thons

    In this update episode, founder Susan Finch shares what Binky Patrol chapters are doing right now, from sending handmade blankets to tornado victims in Illinois and Indiana (in partnership with Reach Out Worldwide) to launching the Active Seniors campaign, expanding Greek life events in Connecticut and Oregon, and preparing for Bink-A-Thon in October. The official 30th anniversary lands on June 19th — the date Binky Patrol went national, time zone by time zone, when it appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show for National AIDS Awareness Day. Susan gives a shout-out to author Jennifer Chiaverini, whose book Round Robin from the Elm Creek Quilts series is part of their celebration reading list. The Bink-A-Thon, sponsored by the Mr. Ballen Foundation, is ramping up. And Mr. Ballen himself is heading out on a live storytelling tour this summer — including a stop in Portland, which happens to land right around the 30th anniversary date. Susan also breaks down all the ways to get involved: become a chapter, host a one-time event, or set up your business as a drop-off location — with your logo, your info, and your choice of where local blankets get delivered. One volunteer hour a month. That's all it takes. Learn more and get involved at binkypatrol.org Links Referenced in This Episode binkypatrol.org — Binky Patrol main site binkypatrol.org/active-seniors — Active Seniors campaign binkypatrol.org/greek-life — Greek life campaign roww.org — Reach Out Worldwide (tornado relief partner) ballenstudios.com — Ballen Studios (live storytelling tour dates) mrballen.foundation — Mr. Ballen Foundation (Bink-A-Thon sponsor) tvctv.org — TVCTV (local community cable, PSA submissions)

    7 min

  7. 5 Mar

    EP91: From Cribs to College — Serving the Kids Nobody Sees

    What does a wet diaper, an empty sippy cup, and a blanket in a backseat have to do with a warehouse full of hope? Everything.   Susan Finch sits down with Stacy DeWitt, Executive Director of James Storehouse in Newbury Park, California — and it turns out they’ve been serving the same kids all along. The connection? Carolyn Berndt, one of Binky Patrol’s All Volunteer – All Heart directors, who also works with Stacy at James Storehouse. “The number one comfort item — from toddlers to teenagers — no matter the season, is a handmade blanket.” — Stacy DeWitt Stacy shares the raw, real story of how a year of prayer and fasting led her to foster care — and how one phone call from a police officer, one three-year-old in a wet diaper, and one blanket from the backseat of her car became the spark that launched James Storehouse in 2014. “Some of the kids have never celebrated their birthday in their entire life, and they’re 22 years old.” — Stacy DeWitt Stacy reveals the number one item every foster child asks for — no matter the age, no matter the season — and it’s exactly what Binky Patrol has been making by hand for 30 years. She also walks us through Beautiful You, an annual event designed to give teen girls rescued from trafficking something they’ve rarely experienced: safe touch, dignity, and the feeling of being seen. This episode will make you want to pick up a needle, some yarn, or your checkbook — and do something. Resources mentioned: James Storehouse: jamesstorehouse.org  Beautiful You: jamesstorehouse.org/beautiful-you-2026 Binky Patrol: binkypatrol.org  Volunteer or take a tour: jamesstorehouse.org/volunteer

    37 min

  8. 24 Feb

    EP90: Getting Over the Ask - it's for the kids!

    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.

    12 min
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About

This show is about the ability to run a non-profit from the heart with a sense of humor and still be successful. We interview our volunteers, partners, and other non-profits to learn from each other, and support each other as we bring love and hope to our communities. Binky Patrol is a 100% volunteer grassroots 501c3 founded in 1996. Binky Patrol makes blankets and gives them away to children and teens in need of a reminder that they matter, are not invisible and that someone cares. We give to children who are ill, abused, or in trauma.

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