BAREFOOT CARING COUNCIL’S MONTHLY
SPOTLIGHT ON…

Quilts of Valor

Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. According to Catherine:

The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing.

The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. I saw the name for this special quilt: it was Quilt of Valor, a QOV. Catherine knew a Quilt of Valor had to be a quality-made quilt, not a “charity quilt.” A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. It would be “awarded,” not just passed out like magazines or videos, and would say unequivocally, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation.”

Any service member or living veteran, honorably discharged, may be nominated to receive a Quilt of Valor. Since 2003 over 300,000 quilts have been awarded nationwide. Locally, the Myrtle Beach Shorebirds have awarded over 3000 quilts. To learn more about Quilts of Valor, or to nominate a veteran go to https://www.qovf.org/.

Within Barefoot we have individuals who volunteer their time in various ways in support of QOV including sewing quilts and helping at award ceremonies. For those interested in sewing quilts, “kits” are available which contain all of the fabric, most cut to the appropriate size and shape, along with instructions to complete a quilt topper. April Kelly, the coordinator for Barefoot, has kits available for anyone interested.

For those interested in helping at award ceremonies, held about once a month primarily at the VFW in Little River, contact April to be added to the email list for future presentations. If you have any questions about this initiative, you may contact April Kelly at 908-581-8208 or email her at ajskmail@gmail.com. Or, you may contact the Barefoot Caring Council at barefootcaringcouncil@gmail.com.