Quilting For Charity

Have you ever wondered what to do with the blocks that just didn't turn out right - they weren't the exact size you wanted, the colours weren't just right, you made to many et al .. there is always a block that just doesn't seem to fit and becomes an orphan .. I have given (not as much as I'd like though) my blocks to create quilts that will go to children in need ...

There are a lot of good charities to give quilts to. I have listed just a few that are avaliable here

Sunshine Quilt

This quilt was a collaboration of effort. The blocks were mine and I donated them to the Sunshine Quilt Project through Sunshine Quilt Guild. I mailed the blocks to Donna Holmen and she put them together, sashed them, and did all the rest of the work and mailed it off to Billijean .. if I am not mistaken, this quilt is being loved and cuddled by a child in Bosnia. Please check out the Sunshine Quilt Project for further details and information.

Here's a letter that was received today (2/24/98) by the Sunshine Guild in regards to the quilts that were sent to Bosnia .. Kleenex warning here .. I don't think there was a dry eye in front of our monitors as this was read on the listserver.. it's well worth the read though!!! This is posted in it's entirely with permission.

Subject: Ss Bosnia letter/Sunshine Quilts/Long
Sent: 2/24/98 8:34 AM
Received: 2/24/98 8:53 AM
From: Billijean, billijean@adam.cheshire.net

Received this today. Please take the time to read.

From:  Walter"Wally" Cain
Relief Delegate American Red Cross
ICRC Zenica
OSCE Bosnia & Herzegovina
P. O. Box CH-4410
LieStal Switzerland

February 6, 1998

Billijean Hobson
Dear Donors (Quilters):

Hi, I am American Red Cross Delegate in Zenica.  Tis town is in central
Bosnia an hour north of Sarajevo and in the middle of mountains.  It is
the host for 9 refugee camps and the cross-roads for travel in central
Bosnia.  My primary roll is food distribution to elderly 65 yrs and
older throughout all communities in Zenica area; we do this through
local Red Cross branches that we are trying to help restructure.  This
activity puts me in the middle of population and basic programs that are
on-going.  Many programs deal with overall population and their return
to their homes; however, while the families wait to go back to their
destroyed or occupied homes they must live in camps (babies, children,
grandparents, fathers, brothers, sisters and mothers, all).

The refugee camps get basic support but not as to treat as long term;
families may be able to go home in 2 months or 2 years or longer.  As I
have free time I have been working with a group that is volunteering in
camps.  The American Red Cross received the most wonderful quilts from
you and your quilters, and as we did not have enough to go to all Red
Cross branches it was decided that the baby and child population that
was most needy could be found in camps.  There we distributed quilts,
photos were taken and many babies smiled and mothers and fathers were so
thankful.  We surveyed camps in the immediate area of my operation and
found three of the nine that were the neediest (not to imply that one is
that much better off than others); we counted the babies and children
from 0 to 7 and found that in three camps we had the same number of
recipients as quilts (I was given 98 quilts to distribute) amazing that
it would work that way but it did.

I write this letter to let you know that your gift was well received and
many thanks.  Our plan is to have story from camps and pictures sent to
you.  We would like to show Quilters the end result of their gift of
many hours and love, so thanks again and this letter is prelude to more
feeback on gift.

Respectfully,
Walter H. Cain (delegate West Virginia)


P.S. (handwritten) I am from West Virginia, friends and grandmother are
quilters so I was very glad to see such a gift and recipients were
amazed at workmanship.  Very beautiful.  My work is with American Red
Cross Disaster Services and as we work some gifts are gifts and others
are treasures.....as yours.  Thanks Wally



************
We I must say I am in tears.  This letter makes me feel so good inside. 
This is what SunShine is all about. Please spread the word and feel free
to copy this letter to other groups to let them know what we do.  It's
very important to spread out network of donors.  Thank you to all our
supporters and friends.  May God Bless.

-- 

Billijean



SunShine Guild HomePage

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Quilts For Sick Infants and Premies

This is a good one for the one block that you may have kicking around with no ready use for ....

Strong Memorial Hospital already particpates on providing "at risk children" with quilts but these are about 30" long, which is way too big for an infant.

I am donating 12" and 14" quilts to the hospital to use for the preemies and sick infants but find I can't make enough on my own because this is such a large hospital. These quilts will be taken home by the parents when their children are released or will be something comforting in the event their baby does not survive.

Anything you send would be greatly appreciated - feel free to sign any blocks or quilts you may send. I will be hand delivering the quilts to the hospital and have made arrangements to check in month or so to see how the program is going.

Contact Cassie VanDelinder for mailing information.

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Project Linus

For more information, please visit Project Linus

ABC Quilts

ABC Quilts is a national non-profit organized to give handmade quilts to at-risk babies and children. We have a grass roots network of people who do some or all of the following, often with a group of friends from work, or church or what ever works for them:

• make quilts
• gather quilts
• identify facilities such as hospitals or day care where these poor babies are cared for
• deliver the quilts
• talk to civic groups about the project
• fund raise for shipping expenses, fabric, etc
• teach kids about the program

As I said, some folks do it all, some do what they are comfortable with. Non-quilters can gather and deliver, for instance, and many are involved that way.

Some churches sponsor the project as their home mission. Some schools use the project for community service. Some people make one quilt per year and send it to us in the national office. It all adds up to more than 35,000 quilts each year, given to babies who are in desperate need, or to comfort little ones.

We have more than 250 "formal" volunteers in our network, and if you consider the average quilt made for the babies has 2-3 people working on it, then multiply 35,000 by 2 or three, and the numbers are staggering. We have a partime bookkeeper/data manager, and I am the part time director. Let me know if you need more info.
Pam

Quilt Cuddle Corner