Volunteer quilters saving unwanted fabrics from landfills and transforming them into patchwork quilts that comfort children in need.

www.quiltsforkids.org

Quiltworks will have a chapter here - sign at or get more information at the store.

Our story:

In August, 2000, while placing an order for an interior design client at the Philadelphia Design Center, I noticed several industrial-size trash bags filled with discontinued designer fabric that were to be thrown away.  What a waste!  I asked them to keep the fabric - I would figure out a way to reuse it.  On the ride home I determined that the only thing to do with these swatches was to make something patchwork out of them.  Maybe a Quilt?  I had remembered a time when my daughter was hospitalized and not allowed to have her "bear-bear" to hold onto to ease the trauma.  She would have been able to have a quilt.  These thoughts merged to create Quilts for Kids, Inc.
If I could find people in the community to make crib-sized patchwork quilts, we could give them to seriously ill and abused children.  The benefits would be two-fold - we would save space in our landfills and bring love and comfort to children in need.

Linda Arye with a young cancer patient at St. Christopher's hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA

Who receives the quilts?

Children in need - especially those with cancer, AIDS, life-threatening illness, and battered and abused children - receive quilts from us.  Because of allergens, children often cannot bring their stuffed animals to the hospital.  However, most hospitals and treatment centers welcome our washable, all-cotton quilts, which kids can hold onto for security and comfort.  Some of our quilters are quite creative and place inspirational messages on the quilt or even make them into game boards!  It means so much to these children and their parents that someone has cared enough to make them this special gift.  We hope that the love that shines through in each quilt somehow aids in the healing process.  Whenever possible, we try to arrange delivery of the quilts personally, particularly among high school children.  When the quilter and recipient meet, it is an experience neither will forget.

Our vision

It is our goal to form a chapter of Quilts for Kids in every region that has a design center.  In this way, the fabrics, quilters, and quilts originate from the same community they serve.  Since 2000, Quilts for Kids has spred to over 50 sister chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean.  We have kept over one million pounds of fabric out of landfills and produced tens of thousands of quilts which were distributed to hospitals and abuse shelters across the U.S., as well as globally to such places as AIDS orphanages in South Africa, Romania, and Ukraine.  At the home office, we dream of a new intergenerational facility where teens and seniors can sew together.  We an't eradicate terrible diseases or child abuse, but if we can make a contribution to lessen the suffering of children by showing them that they are loved and cared for, then we have fulfilled our purpose.

Who makes the quilts?

Quilts for Kids has a volunteer network that encompasses corporate programs, quilting groups, and individuals from all walks of life.  It is not for professional sewers only!  We also welcome preteens and teens to get involved in the making and giving of quilts through their schools or community service programs.  It is invaluable for a young person at the threshold of adulthood to see firsthand what life's battles are truly about - to know that life is not about having the right clothes or hair style.  By making a quilt through our program, they can experience what it is like to give something of themselves to a child who needs them.  It helps them realize that their life is good; that they can make a difference.  We hear so much about how "at risk" our teens are.  They only need the opportunity to shine - Quilts for Kids gives them that chance.

Our angles

We could not do what we do without the support of our volunteers as well as our friends in the fabric and design industry who have sent truckloads of fabric for us to make into our beautiful quilts.  We especially want to thank the Broadway community for their help in promoting our cause.  The coming years should see many exciting developments as we grow.  Please join us and turn tears to smiles on the many faces of our children.