It began as a simple lesson: Tara Tyler wanted to teach her five children how to start a business. "We were going to make blankets to sell at a local crafts show," says Logan, 12. "But when Katrina hit, we decided we'd send them to kids in Louisiana." The Tyler brood could empathize with the victims—two years earlier, Hurricane Isabel ripped through their home state of Virginia. "We wanted to give them some comfort," says 13-year-old Josephine.

So the Tylers started Kids Creating Comfort and set a goal of making 1,200 blankets for the needy on the Gulf Coast. For each blanket, they line up two pieces of fleece, cut fringe along the edges, and tie knots in the fringe. "There's no sewing, so they can do it with minimal mom help," Tara says. Each blanket costs $20 to produce and ship. (KidsCreatingComfort.org)