Stephen Conner (second from left), a World War II veteran who served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945, receives a Quilt of Valor during the Veterans Day Tribute at the Cypress Senior Citizens Center last Friday, Nov. 8. Presenting the honorary gift were (from left): Teena Tomlinson, recreation specialist for the Cypress Senior Citizens Center; Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva; and So Cal Quilts of Valor Coordinator Barbara Winkler.
Staff Writer
When a military veteran was recently awarded a handmade quilt, the former service member seemed bewildered as he took the delicately sewn blanket with his name printed on the back of it.
“You’d do this for me?” the veteran asked. “But you don’t know me.”
Barbara Winkler, coordinator and founder of So Cal Quilts of Valor, however, simply replied, “It doesn’t matter. You didn’t know me when you served, and I’m benefiting from that, so it’s a win-win.”
Winkler leads a team of volunteer quilters and other helpers who meet just about every Thursday in Long Beach to craft the honorary gifts made of decorated fabric, using unique patterns and color schemes. The group is one of hundreds across the country that are part of the nationwide nonprofit the Quilts of Valor Foundation.
Last Friday, Nov. 8, the local operation presented 16 personalized quilts to veterans during the 7th annual Veterans Day Tribute that included a flag ceremony and lunch at the Cypress Senior Citizens Center in Orange County. Seven of the veterans who attended the event had served during World War II.
Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), who gave each veteran a certificate of recognition to honor his or her service, expressed the importance of providing soldiers assimilating back to civilian life with “open doors” and “warm hearts.”
Quirk-Silva said the California State Assembly has recently focused efforts on finding funds to ensure veterans have housing, education and medical benefits when they return from war. She said more than 2 million veterans in America are homeless.
“We can connect them not only to education and veterans housing but to other services they may need, such as mental-health services, working with their disability,” Quirk-Silva said. “It’s so imperative that, when they come home, they receive good health [benefits] because of the dedication they have shown to us.”
Quilts of Valor first emerged in 2003, when Catherine Roberts from Seaford, Delaware, became inspired during her son Nathanael’s yearlong deployment in Iraq. Her idea came out of a desire to see to it that soldiers returning from combat were “welcomed home with the love and gratitude they deserved,” according to the organization’s website.
One of the primary goals of the organization is to provide comfort to soldiers wounded in combat. According to the organization’s website, the quilts are “stitched with love, prayers and healing thoughts” and provide a token of appreciation to wounded soldiers for their “service, sacrifice and valor.”
Winkler started So Cal Quilts of Valor in 2006, and the local group now works with about 10 volunteer quilters and has made more than 2,000 quilts since its inception, she said. So far this year, the group has made about 350 quilts and worked with local high-school students from the Long Beach Unified School District who volunteered their time to fulfill community-service requirements for graduation.
The money for the fabric to make the lap-sized quilts is obtained through donations and raffles throughout the year, Winkler said. The fabric costs about $10 to $15 per yard, and each quilt requires about 10 yards, she said. Each of the quilts starts with a pattern that is cut, sewn and stitched together. The quilts are then washed and ready to use. Winkler said sometimes the same pattern is used but different fabrics make each piece unique.
The goal of the effort, she said, is to provide a personalized award to veterans that can be cherished and used every day instead of hung on the wall like a medal.
“It’s our way of saying thanks— it’s a small token,” Winkler said. “Some of them have not been thanked, and some of them have not been welcomed home, and it’s a shame, but this will give them something that they can cuddle with and watch TV with and enjoy feeling the love and the hugs that we put into those quilts.”
So Cal Quilts of Valor meets every Thursday from 1pm to 5pm, except during holidays, for a sewing day at Sew Vac, 1752 Clark Ave. in Long Beach. The group will also host a sewing day on Feb. 2 at Lakewood High School.
“Anybody is welcome at any time,” Winkler said. “Even if you don’t sew, you can make a donation, trim threads or help iron. There’s always something that needs doing. More hands make light work.”
More Information
socalqov.com
qovf.org
