Blankies 4 My Buddies’ inspiring story begins with Chris “C.J.” Matthews, who wanted to make a difference when his family experienced a pregnancy loss when he was only five years old. His own grief sparked an idea to create a project to support other kids who might be dealing with similar feelings of sadness. CJ told his mom he never wanted another kid to feel sad and lonely like he did, and Blankies 4 My Buddies was born.

Since then, this small project has grown into an organization that brings small tokens of comfort, like cozy blankets, socks, books, etc., to children dealing with traumatic situations, from grief and loss to chronic illnesses and homelessness.

Now 15, C.J. is an ambitious young man and author who plans to build a social enterprise that will benefit kids in need worldwide. Only now, he's a big brother and Kollin Matthews, 7 years old is right by his side. The duo and their family are working on a variety of projects including developing a line of blankets; for every blanket purchased, one will be donated.

C.J. also recently created The Blanket Box Project to inspire other kids and teens to use their own hands to create a blanket to comfort others in need. His award-winning project idea earned him a place in the inaugural class of 25 young changemakers in the 2022 Prudential Emerging Visionaries. This project also received recognition from Guppy Tank Kids and Riley’s Way Foundation’s “Call For Kindness.” In 2023, C.J. returns to Riley's Way as a Continuation Grant fellow to execute his 2023 project, a huge "Making Change Blanket Workshop."