Beth Bradford delivers baby baskets to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base families.
Linda Eisenhart
Service always has been a centerpiece of the SaddleBrooke Friday Quilters activities. 2020 Service Co-Chairs Linda Crum and Janette Volz have been busy coordinating eight projects that benefit 10 different local groups! We proudly present our military family beneficiaries.
Beth Bradford has been a SaddleBrooke quilter for the past eight years. She is a Navy vet who also was a contracting officer for the VA Hospital in Tucson. As a member of SaddleBrooke Troop Support, she has found a way to join her interests through a charitable project. Beth collects baby items and assembles them into beautiful baskets that are given to Tucson area military families whose needs have been vetted. These families are expecting babies and sometimes have other small children. She collects clothing (infant-24 months), diapers, bottles, small toys, etc. She asked her fellow quilters to provide small quilts that she cleverly wraps around teddy bears before including them in the gift baskets. These projects are labors of love for Beth and the other Quilt Club members who contribute so generously. She also appreciates and accepts cash donations so that she can buy any missing items for the baby baskets that might be needed. If you’d like to donate items or cash, contact Beth at 520-668-8804 or [email protected].
The Quilt Club also supports other military causes. Linda and Janette gathered hand-made items from club members for distribution to patients at the VA Hospital. The VA’s mission is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans. The Quilt Club members recently made 40 wheelchair totes, 35 walker totes, 15 wheelchair lap quilts, and 35 masks for the VA Hospital. This project was special for Linda because her brother was a patient in the Seattle VA Hospital for several years due to heart and kidney failure. She said, “the hospital staff were so kind and took such special care of my brother. I thought what a wonderful way to show support and gratitude to a VA hospital for all they do for our veterans.”
Thus far, the Quilt Club has delivered eight quilts to Quilts of Valor (QOV). QOV’s purpose is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. They believe that quilts equal healing. Many quilts are patriotic with red, white, and blue fabrics, but they also appreciate receiving quilts in different colors. Since their founding in 2003, over 250,000 quilts have been awarded to service members and veterans throughout the 50 states. To learn more about QOV, go to www.qovf.org.
Janette Volz sums it up well, “we all have a family member or friend who has served or is currently serving in our military. It is truly gratifying for our quilt group to utilize our sewing skills to contribute in any way the support and honor these fine men and women deserve.”