In 2003, Catherine Roberts’s son, Nat, was deployed to Iraq. One night, she had a vivid dream that showed a young man in despair. Then someone put a quilt around his shoulders, and his demeanor changed to one of hope. The dream’s message was clear: Quilts bring comfort and healing. Catherine started Quilts of Valor, a team of volunteers who donate their time, sewing skills and materials to make quilts to honor our nation’s veterans.
Quilts of Valor, where I’m executive director, has awarded more than 300,000 quilts to service members and veterans who’ve been touched by war. (We say “awarded” because we present each quilt in a small ceremony.) Still, there are many more who are waiting for this honor. Our website offers quilt patterns and instructions for donating. We hold a national block drive and select a specific design each year. We also need volunteers to make presentation cases for quilts that will be sent overseas. We even teach the art of quilting to community service organizations that wish to make and award a quilt. We’d love for you to get involved. For more information, visit qovf.org.
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