Quilts of Compassion: A Blanket of Hope

Toledo Local Features | 11/11/2010 7:00 am

In an nondescript space off Central Avenue, a half-dozen women sit at sewing machines, their threads whirling noisily through bright patchwork squares. Purples, yellows, greens and blues come together as a quilt for someone who didn’t know they needed such an article until after they received it.

One such woman was Janice Grimes, who just 10 years ago found herself in an Intensive Care Unit following a car accident. Severe internal and brain injuries led some to believe she would never lead the full life she once led, and beyond her physical injuries, she found her spirit broken as well. One day, the hospital chaplain came to visit Janice and brought her a quilt to keep on her hospital bed. This small gesture of love was the one thing she needed to help her through this otherwise dark and discouraging time, and it remained by her side through every step of her recovery.

“I had it in physical therapy, in surgeries. I didn’t want to be away from it,” she said. When Janice was well enough, the first place she went was the local fabric store, determined to replicate her quilt and help Chaplain Ruth bring comfort to those who needed it most. From then on, Quilts of Compassion was born.

Quilts of Compassion is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing hope and encouragement to those who are hurting through the gift of handmade quilts. The quilts are just as much about physical comfort as they are spiritual comfort, since each one is made with love and symbolizes one person’s act of caring for another. The quilters not only pray for the person receiving the quilt while it is being made, but also continue to pray as a group for everyone who has received a quilt since.

“I really believe that by being kind and compassionate, that when you have a purity of heart, people see a reflection of God’s love,” said Janice. “This is my calling. It’s what I’ve been called to do and however God wants to use me, I’m open to that.”

Coincidentally, though perhaps not, Janice’s first quilt delivery was to a car accident victim in ICU.

“The reason I was there was bigger than anything I would ever see or hear,” she recalled Chaplain Ruth telling her at the time. More than 40,000 quilts later, Quilts of Compassion has 250 members and works with local hospitals, hospice, nursing and rehabilitation facilities to connect patients with a quilt at no cost to those who request one. They’ll even ship the quilts across the nation for free. The group is often overwhelmed with letters of praise and thanks from recipients and family members.

“We get letter after letter after letter from people who were touched by them in the same way others were touched.” said Janice.

To make their mission possible, the organization receives monetary donations, as well as fabric and materials for quilt construction from generous individuals who believe in their cause.

Another big fundraiser is their annual Quilting Marathon this Saturday, November 13th from 10 a.m. to 8p.m. Quilters raise pledges for each hour of quilting, as well as raffle one of their most intricate quilts and open their doors to whomever wants to stop by. One of the most valuable donations the organization receives is the people who donate the manpower to turn out quilts week after week, whether it’s physically sewing, cutting fabric, fundraising, shipping or delivering them. Everything is supplied, so it’s easy for everyone to get involved in some aspect of the organization.

“It’s always people or family of someone who received a quilt and understand why we do what we do,” said Janice. One such person is 93-year-old Wilma Kowalski, who first met Janice at a church retreat. Janice gave each person a quilt and told them to give it to someone who needed it. Wilma said she always loved to sew, but this was a way for her to take what she liked doing to a higher level.

“They just love them. They take them and they hold them. It makes you feel so good because it makes them feel so good,” she said.

Just across the sewing table from Wilma is Rita Thomas, who decided to bring Quilts of Compassion to US servicemen and women. Her son serves in the Air National Guard 180th Fighter Wing and knows what it’s like to have a loved one away for so long.

“I can’t have another mom go through what I went through feeling absolutely lost,” said Rita. She got the idea from the blankets she made her grandchildren, which she would wrap them up in each visit to fill them with ‘Oma Love,’ which is German for ‘grandmother.’

“And I thought how neat would it be to have a ‘daddy love’ quilt so when they were having a bad day at school they had him around in that sense,” said Rita, who pitched the idea to the military’s family group, and was immediately given the green light. The 180th commissioned 25 quilts to be given to families this Saturday at the base’s pre-deployment meeting, and requested even more for 2011.

“I know when my dad’s deployed, something like this would be nice,” said Cortney Lane as she finished up the end of one of the camouflage-patterned fleece quilts. Cortney’s father is also in the 180th, and got involved in the group through Rita.

“It goes out to someone who really needs it. It’s a simple way to have fun, while sharing our time to make someone happy.