Our Story

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, 6 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 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.”

Chris “CJ” Matthews, Global Youth Activist

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide an extra dose of comfort to kids who need it. Whether we’re collecting blankets, books, or food, we strive to empower kids and their families who are dealing with difficult situations like illness, loss, grief, food insecurity, and homelessness. We initiate projects we believe will make their load lighter.

What We Do

Grief Programs – B4MB raises awareness about the needs of children and teens who are grieving a death and provides education and resources for the parents and guardians who support them. Our programming includes community crisis support, grief support groups, school education sessions, professional workshops, and trainings.

Blanket Donations – We donate blankets to individual kids facing challenging situations and organizations that serve those kids.

Youth Initiatives – Through our initiatives, we offer opportunities for youth to make an impact in their own communities.

School Education Sessions – If a tragedy occurs in the school community (a student or teacher dies; there is a mass shooting in the area), B4MB would be able to go into the school to help children cope with grief, and teach them how to be sensitive to those who are grieving.

Professional Workshops – We host professional workshops and trainings for those working with children who have experienced grief or loss.

Events – We host food giveaways, book giveaways, blanket drives, and more to bring communities together to help one another and to inspire youth to get involved.

Learn more about upcoming programs and events.

Children receiving B4MB care packages CJ and his brother Kollin deliver blankets Collecting food donations