REILE’S ACRES, N.D. — Wendy and Chris Allen knew their daughter, Olivia, was a kind and generous girl who helped a lot of people, but they didn’t realize just how many lives she touched.
Hundreds of people, some who the parents didn’t know, showed up for the 17-year-old’s funeral on Oct. 21 at First Lutheran Church in Fargo. Some brought blankets as an homage to Olivia Allen, who started a nonprofit that has made 6,000 blankets for people who need comfort.
“Even after her passing, the ripple effect of Olivia is huge,” her mother said. Olivia died Oct. 14.
The girl was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2009 when she was 2 years old. With the diagnosis, Olivia received a soft, yellow, homemade blanket from University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital staff in Minneapolis. Olivia affectionately called the blanket Big Bird, as it would shed “little yellow stuff” like the beloved Sesame Street character.
The blanket that comforted the girl during a scary time served as the inspiration for Warm Blanket Hugs. Olivia led an effort to collect blankets and fleece that could be turned into homemade tie blankets. She started making the blankets as a Girl Scouts of the USA project in 2014.
She then gained nonprofit status in 2019. In 2022, when The Forum interviewed Olivia and her mother about Warm Blanket Hugs, the nonprofit had made 3,000 blankets, including 1,000 that year. The blankets went to many organizations, such as homeless shelters, hospitals and animal shel.
