Thoughts on community on this Civic Holiday weekend
Several years ago I got involved with Quilts of Valour http://www.quiltsofvalour.ca/, and
DH and I held a Quilt Dedication at his parish, and that event got a bit of
local media attention. From that event and the news coverage I met a wonderful lady Joan, who came to
the church and dropped off several quilts for QoV. I found out then that she is
totally immersed in making quilts (approx. 1600 quilts at last count ) for the
local Ronald McDonald house. She does this at her own expense and with a
dedication and determination few of us will ever be able to manage, because it’s an important
outreach for her.
About the same time I met Claire http://www.clairemeldrum.ca/#home who is a busy wife, mom of
2, career woman, and graduate student who still manages to squeeze time to be
creative into her very busy days. She has brought several quilts my way for quilting,
and is a very talented maker and designer of smocked garments and specialty children’s
clothing. She even helped her son David’s class make a Quilt of Valour. Her
quilts are a pleasure to quilt and give me something to get my teeth into!
Some time ago Claire’s mom Judy M started to make aprons for
Natural Abilities a store run by Community Living of Grimsby, Lincoln
and West Lincoln. http://www.cl-grimsbylincoln.ca/
Judy has made over 200 aprons, and I suspect she does it
because it’s a cause that’s important to her, and makes her community a better
place to be.
As a rep for QoV I get lots of odds and sods given to me...boxes
of fabric, thread, etc. Claire and some others know that much of what I do for
QoV is done with little to no money; I do what I do because I feel it’s an
important outreach. Claire brings boxes of scraps from her mom’s apron making
and her own quilt making. Last year Pamela (another quilting customer) had to
downsize and a substantial quantity of her stash arrived in my living room to
sort and I did my best to pass it along to folks who are willing to be creative
and make do.
Joan is one such person; what she does with scraps from Judy’s
aprons, Claire’s quilts, and Pamela’s stash is quite amazing. I had a chat with
Joan last week when she brought 3 new quilts for QoV and a quilt destined for ‘The
House’ for me to see….
What little girl undergoing treatment for a serious illness would
not want that quilt?
What wonderful outreach from folks like Joan, Judy, Pamela,
and others like them with time, energy, a need to be creative, and a desire to
assist their community...get involved in your community...it matters!
Cheers
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