Organization donates quilts to local dialysis unit

Organization donates quilts to local dialysis unit
Posted Jun 9, 2011
BY MARLA SHOOK

EMC News - The Smiths Falls Dialysis Unit now has five new quilts for patients, thanks to Victoria's Quilts Canada, Bolingbroke Branch.

The Smiths Falls Community Hospital Auxiliary recently commissioned the branch to create four new quilts for the unit. The branch then donated the fifth.

And create they did! The five colourful quilts will be placed into a raffle of all dialysis patients. The lucky raffle winners will have use of the quilts during their time at the unit.

A presentation was made May 25 by the branch to the auxiliary and hospital.

According to staff members, the unit is running at full capacity at the moment, with 27 patients.

The local branch of Victoria's Quilts created and designed the quilts as a new initiative for the auxiliary, however they have been providing, on average, 25 quilts a month to them since November 2008. The auxiliary purchases the quilts and then provides them for all new babies born at the hospital.

The local branch recently produced its 300th blanket to be gifted out, since the members' start in May 2005. Originally starting out as a "coffee clutch" of five, the members would often attend craft shows and make crafts. They then decided to start their own branch and now membership has grown to 27.

Members sort, sew, cut, make kits, and more.

Those people who are gifted with blankets, including cancer patients, are very grateful, often sending in thank you letters after receiving their quilt.

According to information provided by Paula Clark, Quilt Request Liaison for the Bolingbroke Branch and membership chair as well as hospital volunteer for the Auxiliary, "All gifted quilts must be 100 per cent cotton tops. We use 80-100 per cent cotton batting and 100 per cent flannel batting because of sensitivities while going through (cancer) treatment."

Donations are always appreciated by the branch, whether funding or fabric. Each branch must fundraise to cover costs of materials.

"We get a surplus of children's fabric donated to us, we make the quilts up and donate them to the oncology department at CHEO. No fabric gets discarded, it's like gold to us," Clark described. "When we receive synthetic blends we use them for our baby quilts fundraiser or we make a large quilt to raffle off to help with purchasing needed supplies."

STARTED IN U.S.

Victoria's Quilts originally began in the United States with Victoria Ann Morrison - a wife, mother, grandmother, neighbour and friend.

After being diagnosed with cancer, she often felt cold while going through subsequent treatment. At the time, her sister-in-law Deborah Rogers decided to make her a quilt to help her keep warm. Victoria was a quilter and it was felt her sister-in-law would appreciate the warm covering.

After Morrison's passing, Rogers continued to make quilts and gifted them to cancer patients. Once she hit the 100 quilt mark, she founded the organization in memory of Victoria.

The group started up in Canada in 1998 with 10 ladies. Now membership sits at more than 800 volunteers who meet in 20 groups in Ottawa and 20 branches across Canada.

The quilts themselves are never sold and there is no cost to the recipient or the person making the request. They can be delivered anywhere in Canada and are for those who need comfort while going through "a rough time with any stage of cancer." For more information about Victoria's Quilts, please visit www.victoriasquiltscanada.com.

AUXILIARY

The Smiths Falls Community Hospital Auxiliary, according to its website, supports various projects, programs and services of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital. There are presently 107 volunteers and this number continues to grow daily. For more information visit http://psfdh.on.ca.

http://www.emcsmithsfalls.ca/20110609/news/Organization+donates+quilts+to+local+dialysis+unit