Making a real difference in our community
Our Guild members are highly motivated to be of service to the community providing quilted items for those in need. The premier service project for QVQ is the “Quilt Cupboard,” where members make quilts that are then donated to families who need quilts for physical and psychological warmth. We have made and donated over 300 quilts so far. We also partner with the Southern Vermont Medical Cancer Center to provide quilts for transitioning cancer patients, the Bennington Child Advocacy Center and several other charities.
These are just some of the highlights of some of what our quilters so generously do, much of it also happens quietly ‘behind the scenes’ one on one to the community.
Quiet Valley Quilter's Quilt Cupboard
Quiet Valley Quilters – you totally rock with your constant outpouring of love and commitment to helping the community. What an awesome show of charity today!
Statistics for the day from the Quilt Cupboard Workshop:
- 20 attendees
- 100+ blocks made
- 7 quilt tops laid out, 6 of them almost together
- 1 top 100% done
- 7 tops married with backing and batting, would anyone like to quilt them?
- A mountain of fabric cut, which included enough fabric for a Hunters Star quilt + lots extra
- 1 binding sewn on
- 2 new techniques learnt
- Lots of quilting jargon passed along
- New friends made and 20 day long smiles created.
- About half the attendees also took extra stuff home to work on.
If you know someone who could use a quilt to help them through a hard time,
Please contact our Wendy Sharkey – our Quilt Cupboard coordinator at quiltcupboard@quietvalleyquilters.com
Southern Vermont Cancer Center Quilts
To the Editor:
It is my pleasure to share the story of the Quiet Valley Quilters with you and your readers. Together with generous funding from the Cancer Center Community Crusaders, their steadfast work is making a positive difference for cancer patients in our community.
Over the past 25 years, this guild of artisans have made 290 beautiful handmade quilts for charitable purposes. They send them to victims of natural disasters and to developing nations in crisis. They have delivered 52 of these to the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center for patients.
To receive this handcrafted gift of comfort becomes truly meaningful for patients and their families. With this special gift, patients can wrap themselves in the care and good wishes of their community.
On behalf of the entire staff at the Cancer Center, I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to each member of this dedicated and generous group. Deepest thanks for your tremendous gifts of time and talent.
Sincerely, Charlene Ives, MD,
The writer is a medical oncologist with the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center in Bennington.
Other articles:
Teddy Bear and Bear Quilt Donations to the Bennington County Child Advocacy Center
The Quiet Valley Quilters donated many, many teddy bears and bear quilts to the Bennington County Child Advocacy Center in Bennington at the guild’s December meeting.
Joy Kitchell of the Child Advocacy Center was on hand to receive the bears.
The Quiet Valley Quilters have been making customized quilts and bags and donating them along with the bears for many years.
The Children’s Advocacy Center is a child-focused program in which representatives from many disciplines, including law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy, and child advocacy, work together to conduct interviews and make team decisions about the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child abuse cases. The Center will let children select a bear and quilt with the hope that it will be a source of comfort at that difficult time. The Center will also provide bears and quilts to children entering the foster care system.
Link to the Advocacy Center: https://www.bccac.org/
Project Linus Quilts
Annette Dixon, in our guild, has devoted countless hours of her time to making quilts for the Project Linus Charity.
She wrote this on why she has dedicated so very much of her time to Project Linus.
“I first became involved with Project Linus 7 years ago after the loss of a grandchild. Our family had for several years supported a charity at Christmas time and though the baby died in November my daughter asked if we could honor Project Linus that year. We scrambled and my 2 daughters & I made 6 quilts that year. Fast forward and a small group of friends & I have donated 1500 + quilts that have been distributed to every hospital in Vt and to the Kingston NY area where our daughter lives. They also go to homeless shelters, safe houses, school shootings & anywhere there is a sick or traumatized child. One of my favorite recipients is the Kurn Hatten home in Westminster, Vt’s only orphanage. I found out that they are only licensed to grade 8 so those children, if not fostered or adopted are sent out of state wherever there is room. My heart aches for them, so upon “graduation” each receives a twin size quilt. Each year our tiny church has a special service to bless the quilts, the children who receive them and the hands who made them before I make my rounds delivering them to the Linus coordinators who do the final distributions. Because of covid 19, plans are on hold yet for this year, so over 200 quilts are waiting to be given out right now.’
On a more informal program, many in our guild have been making cloth masks to donate to the community here right now.
Many who are able in the guild have been making masks for friends and family, for our neighbors, and for various community services here in the area free of charge. Everyone does what they can, but some are also working remotely and homeschooling children and a host of other responsibilities at the same time. Some can make a few and some in the guild can make many. Every single one made counts and protects someone.
Special thanks to Bob DeVries of Screen Trans Development who has donated close to 2000 yards to date of elastic to the quild to help us defray the costs of making the masks. The guild members have been generously pulling fabric from their own stashes to create the masks.
Come meet some of our mask makers
We asked members in the guild to take selfies of themselves in a mask they made. They have been giving generously of their time, digging into their own private fabric stashes and reaching out to help our community. Thought you would like to see a few of us. The selfies are just starting to pour in – so the pictures will continue to grow in number.