Seniors without kin
12-24-2011, 10:48 PM
#1
Power Poster
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Northern California mountains
Posts: 12,538
Seniors without kin
Yestereday, having completed and delivered my charity quilts to meet the needs of children in out of home placement, and not wanting to tackle my main tricky UFO, I looked in a couple of fabric drawers and remembered that I had planned to do a couple of vet quilts. I called the local office for low income seniors to ask if they had vets and others needing lap quilts. When they got back to me, the response was strong and enthusiastic.
In our small community, it is fairly clear where the needs are. I urge those of you looking for a project to consider lap quilts for the kinless.
A couple of years ago I went in to deliver a quilt with the Statue of Liberty and flags. The person in charge of the office at the foundation-run low cost senior housing insisted on taking me to a WW II vet living in one of their apts. We had a good chat. He was thrilled with the gift and I was very pleased to see his smiles.
About 5 years ago DH and I decided we wanted to donate quilts for those in our community, which is generally underserved. We went to the soup kitchen an hour before they opened. DH explained that we had quilts to give but didn't want them to go where they would be trashed or sold for drugs. The lady in charge said she knew just who they should go to, and put them up on the wall. She later told me about one of them. A Nam vet wheeled himself in. He saw a horse's head medallion quilt and asked if that were spoken for. It reminded him of the great pleasure he had gotten as a rider. She told him the quilt was spoken for, it was his. He was grateful and also said it was the perfect size to keep his stumps warms.
I know quilters are generally very generous. I ask you to consider those in your own communities who need to be remembered and kept warm.
In our small community, it is fairly clear where the needs are. I urge those of you looking for a project to consider lap quilts for the kinless.
A couple of years ago I went in to deliver a quilt with the Statue of Liberty and flags. The person in charge of the office at the foundation-run low cost senior housing insisted on taking me to a WW II vet living in one of their apts. We had a good chat. He was thrilled with the gift and I was very pleased to see his smiles.
About 5 years ago DH and I decided we wanted to donate quilts for those in our community, which is generally underserved. We went to the soup kitchen an hour before they opened. DH explained that we had quilts to give but didn't want them to go where they would be trashed or sold for drugs. The lady in charge said she knew just who they should go to, and put them up on the wall. She later told me about one of them. A Nam vet wheeled himself in. He saw a horse's head medallion quilt and asked if that were spoken for. It reminded him of the great pleasure he had gotten as a rider. She told him the quilt was spoken for, it was his. He was grateful and also said it was the perfect size to keep his stumps warms.
I know quilters are generally very generous. I ask you to consider those in your own communities who need to be remembered and kept warm.
12-26-2011, 04:56 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Timberlea, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 1,262
I think that's an absolutely awesome idea!!! Our Walmarts had a Christmas Tree for Seniors with Paper ornaments on it with the person's first name, male or female and an item they would like to have. This is my second year for picking ornaments off that tree and I loved it so much. Everywhere I go, they're doing something or collecting for the children and while I think that's wonderful, I loved that someone was finally doing something for the seniors. I would love to jump on board to a Seniors without Kin project. Maybe I need a little brain storming here so I'm thinking the best way to go about this would be to pick a seniors home and go have a talk to the Manager and find out who is in there without kin. I lost my mother last February and would love to do something like this. This summer my project was a foster family with 5 children, so I made 5 quilts, which left me no time to look into this Senior idea. I guess my question to all you guys is, am I going about this the right way? Would you start with going to a Seniors home like I suggested? Please feel free to help me with ideas for this. I will plan to start right away in January. Thanks, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to EVERYBODY!!! Wendy
12-26-2011, 05:16 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Lawton, Oklahoma by way of Germany
Posts: 846
Originally Posted by Happy Tails
I think that's an absolutely awesome idea!!! Our Walmarts had a Christmas Tree for Seniors with Paper ornaments on it with the person's first name, male or female and an item they would like to have. This is my second year for picking ornaments off that tree and I loved it so much. Everywhere I go, they're doing something or collecting for the children and while I think that's wonderful, I loved that someone was finally doing something for the seniors. I would love to jump on board to a Seniors without Kin project. Maybe I need a little brain storming here so I'm thinking the best way to go about this would be to pick a seniors home and go have a talk to the Manager and find out who is in there without kin. I lost my mother last February and would love to do something like this. This summer my project was a foster family with 5 children, so I made 5 quilts, which left me no time to look into this Senior idea. I guess my question to all you guys is, am I going about this the right way? Would you start with going to a Seniors home like I suggested? Please feel free to help me with ideas for this. I will plan to start right away in January. Thanks, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to EVERYBODY!!! Wendy
we as a family have picked one nursing home every year. We wait till the last few days and than go and get all the names that are left on their angel tree. those are the ones who have no family at all.
Those are our "grandmas and grandpas" and you cannot believe how grateful they are for just the smallest items.
So please , next year consider checking out the angeltrees in nursing homes.
12-26-2011, 05:16 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Buckley,Washington
Posts: 988
Cudos to all of you with such wonderful hearts... this idea will be on my list once I retire... between work and travel time I am gone about 12hrs a day... but I will have to look into doing something for the seniors without kin here.. there is a fairly new assisted living home here in town that I could look into... so thank you ...
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