Pictured L to R:  Dolores Strockbine, Barbara D’Ippolito, Karen Rinderer, Cathy Brinck, Holly Kropinack, Sandy Antonacci, and Barbara Raney.  Missing are Berthann Milkovitz, Naomi Meislohn, Susan Oksen-Pereira and Karen Zavaglia

Quilts For Kids

In October, 2009, a group of ladies began the Quilts For Kids project.  Several times a year, they travel to the Quilts For Kids headquarters in Yardley, Pennsylvania to return finished quilts and replenish their supply of quilt kits.  To date, twenty-nine quilts have been completed and returned to their headquarters.

The quilt kits are free of charge and include precut squares, strips for the four patch, inner and outer borders and backing.  Batting is supplied by the quilter.  Each lady completes the quilt at home using their own sewing machine.  The project is stitched and quilted by machine.  The size of the quilt is approximately 36 X 48 inches.  Volunteers may use their “stash” of brightly colored children’s fabric to create their own quilt or by downloading a pattern from the Quilts For Kids website at www.quiltsforkids.org.

The mission of the Quilts For Kids organization is transform discontinued, unwanted and other fabric into patchwork quilts that comfort children in need.  These children are fighting a life battle with cancer, AIDS, other serious illnesses and children of abuse.  Their goal is to link design centers and other fabric sources nationwide with their communities, so that children in need in those regions may be served. 

The charitable organization has distributed tens of thousands quilts worldwide since its inception in August of 2000.   Some of the local recipients include Bristol-Meyers-Squibb Children’s Hospital, Children’s Specialized Hospital, Christian Caring of Browns Mills, and Mill Hill House.

 It has also saved millions of pounds of fabric from being dumped into landfills.

A group workshop is being planned for the future to assemble quilts.

New volunteers are welcome.  For more information, please contact Dolores Strockbine at DKSFR@aol.com or Barbara Raney at beraney@comcast.net.