Credit: Warren Eig Edith Eig, owner of La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City, Calif., is helping USA Cares by contributing to Operation Lap Wrap.

RADCLIFF, KY. - September 30, 2008 - A yarn and knitting business in southern California has stepped up to make volunteer contributions to the USA Cares Operation Lap Wrap program by both donating blankets and offering discounts to customers.

"In addition to making a fashion statement, knitting is also both therapeutic and social; so when I first learned of the compassionate lap wrap program, I seized the opportunity to invite my customers to participate and turn their passion for knitting towards this very good cause," said Edith Eig, owner of La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City, Calif. "My heart goes out to our brave servicemen and women who put their lives on the line, and I wanted to reach out and help make a difference. As a collective group, we’re weaving hope into every stitch of these hand-knit blankets and wish the very best for these individuals as they strive to rebuild their lives."

Kim Moorman, USA Cares Director of Business Development, said a box of lap wraps has already arrived from Eig. Short notes of encouragement and thanks to the troops were enclosed with the blankets.

"They are awesome! I really love the notes and the one from Troop 408 that had a bunch of little notes from the girls on them. That will definitely touch a lot of hearts as they see and receive them," Moorman said.

Eig decided to offer a 15 percent discount on yarn sales to any customers who want to create lap wraps for the troops.

"The outpouring of support has been incredible. Together, my clients and I have sent Operation Lap Wrap a huge box of blankets, and there is a new batch in the process of being made with more and more people expressing interest everyday. This is an ongoing effort that we will support until our troops finally come home for good," Eig said.

Cheryl Bruce, Volunteer Coordinator for USA Cares, said the lap wraps will be a huge help. "Our service members are hospitalized for various lengths of time. Lap Wraps provide warmth for a visitor in a hospital room and coverage of missing limbs when confined to a wheelchair," she said.

"La Knitterie Parisienne is proud to be a part of USA Cares Operation Lap and honored for the recognition. We are featuring Operation Lap Wrap on our web site at www.LaKnitterieParisienne.com and are encouraging anyone who'd like participate to get involved. I've identified some wonderful yarns to craft these lap wraps and welcome everyone to join us. Customers can visit us at our store located at 12642 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, Calif., or call us at 818-766-1515 and let us know they'd like to knit a lap wrap blanket," Eig said.

About La Knitterie Parisienne

Owned by entrepreneur Edith Eig and located in Studio City, CA, La Knitterie Parisienne is one of the world's most successful and recognizable knitting yarn stores, carrying an unprecedented selection of premium yarns, knitting books, buttons and knitting accessories. The shop specializes in teaching the art of knitting for free with the purchase of yarn from the shop and hosts many interactive events for their clients including the popular "Sip and Knit" social gathering during the shop's late night on Wednesdays. Eig hails from Paris, France, where she learned to knit at the age of five. She's combined her Parisian sensibilities with her incredible flair for fashion and design to become an icon in the knitting industry and an authority appearing in such news outlets as TODAY on NBC, CNN and Entertainment Tonight, Time magazine, Newsweek magazine, Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed book, "Mother or Purl: Friends, Fun and Fabulous Designs at Hollywood's Knitting Circle" (HarperCollins) and is a philanthropist incorporating knitting into a wide array of worthy organizations. La Knitterie Parisienne is located at 12642 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604. For more information, call 818-766-1515; for yarn purchases only call 1-800-2-BUY-YARN or visit www.LaKnitterieParisienne.com.

About USA Cares and Share A Minute
USA Cares is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that helps military families bear the burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Its mission: to assist wounded warriors and their families, to prevent home foreclosures and evictions and to help with basic needs during financial crisis. Share A Minute asks Americans to donate $25 to represent one minute of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine’s full 525,000 minute tour of duty. In its five and one-half years of operation, USA Cares has responded to over 11,000 requests for assistance, saved 465 military family homes from foreclosure or eviction thus sparing over 1,000 children from uncertainty. Families anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web site, http://www.usacares.org/, or by calling 1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact jrevell@usacares.org

USA Cares, Inc.

USA Cares, Inc.

USA Cares exists to help service members and their families across America and around the globe. USA Cares provides support with relevant and direct assistance that improves challenging situations and betters the life and well-being of America's service members who ask so little, yet give so very much. Helping service members and their families with quality of life issues using grants, counseling and mentorship.

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