val·or/ˈvalər/
Noun: Great courage in the face of danger, esp. in battle
Did you know that there are two tremendous organizations dedicated to honoring the valor of our service members by delivering home made quilts to our returning veterans? The Quilts of Valor Foundation, and Citizen Sam's - Quilts for Our Wounded Program are doing incredible work, but they need our help.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation's mission is to cover ALL those service members and veterans touched by war with Wartime Quilts called Quilts of Valor (QOVs). These quilts must be 55” to 72” wide and 65” to 90” long. They must be made of 100% cotton quilting fabric, but they can be any style or pattern - not just red, white and blue. The Quilts of Valor Foundation has a very sophisticated website where they connect "piecers" with "long armers" - so you don't have to complete the entire process. For more information please check out their website at http://www.qovf.org.
Citizen Sam is an organization dedicated to supporting our armed services through many different programs including programs dedicated to supporting active duty armed service members, veterans, and the children of fallen soldiers. "Quilts for our wounded" is a very special program within Citizen Sam that we just recently learned about.
Our wounded soldiers are transported from the battlefields to the safety of hospitals in open cargo planes with no heat, and Citizen Sam is asking quilters to help keep our wounded service members warm. They are requesting red, white and blue quilts that measure 4ft by 6 1/2 ft (48" x 78") to fit stretchers and gurneys. They have some powerful thank you notes and stories from the front lines about how quilts can make a real difference. To learn more please visit the Citizen Sam website at http://www.citizensam.org/ or the Quilts for Our Wounded Program at http://www.citizensam.org/html/quilts.html.
We have a great selection of patriotic quilt kits available that are perfect for donation to either of these great organizations. You can see our full Patriotic Quilt Kit Collection HERE.
It's rare that an opportunity to quilt for such a worthy cause arises. The thought of our brave service men and women freezing on a cargo plane as they are transported to the hospital makes me wish I could send a thousand quilts! If there were enough hours in the day and days in the week to actually accomplish this goal I may actually attempt it, but alas I am one quilter. That's why I've taken this moment to appeal to you dear readers. If we gather our talents, our fabrics, and our time we can keep our exceptionally valiant soldiers warm.
Please remember the more quilters we get involved, the more quilts we create, and the more soldiers we honor. So pass this message on to all of your quilty friends, and thanks in advance for helping me get this important message out.
-Ingrid
