The End of 2011 – The Beginning of 2012

We ended December 2011 with so many great adventures that I saved this one to start out 2012.

On December 30^th, Quilts of Honor went on a road trip to Thornton Commons in Stockton, CA where, along with Karl Ross Post 16, we awarded 19 Quilts of  Honor.  The Karl Ross Post posted the colors and Teresa sang the national anthem.  I hope one day you will be able to hear Teresa sing – what a gift she has and to also be a veteran makes it mean so much more.

Then we started the awarding of the quilts.  Each recipient was called by name and two of the Karl Ross Honor Guard members held open the QOH for all to see, then folded the quilt like a flag, walked over to each recipient and thanked them for their sacrifice as they saluted them.  Not one recipient had a dry eye after receiving their quilt.  One recipient asked the person sitting next to him, “did you know we were getting these?”  He replied, “H### no but isn’t it nice.”  We are still getting responses even from family members that they were so honored that we honored their parents.

There were three females:  a Marine, a Navy driver of a PT boat, and an Army nurse.  The men ranged from WWII to Vietnam.  The stories were awesome.  There was so much history in that room and we will probably never see and hear so much again.  We made some very deserving veterans a lifetime honor.

Thank you to Karl Ross Post 16 for making it such an honorable ceremony.

We are setting our schedule for some yearly events so be ready – you never know where Quilts of Honor will end up.

Our workshop for January will be the 25^th – hope to see you there.

Do you have a favorite recipe?  We are beginning work on a Quilts of Honor Cookbook.  This isn’t going to be just a cookbook, we are also going to include quilt pictures, and have pages where you can honor of memorialize a loved one.  Carl, an Army Veteran, has graciously volunteered to master this for us.  You can send your recipes, photos, or questions to Carl’s email:  msged@earthlink.net.   Let’s make this a QOH Cookbook to be proud of!  Check with your friends – they might have a great recipe or maybe they would like to honor a loved one.

Our first QOH Booth and the unveiling of Lady Liberty will be at the Turlock Quilt Show, February 18-19, at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds – please come by and say hello.

We are always looking for volunteers.  If you would like to help (and you don’t have to sew), email myself (gail@quiltsofhonor.org) or Jan (jan@quiltsofhonor.org) and we’ll sign you up.

God Bless you.  May we have another productive year and continue to honor our veterans with our Quilted Hugs of Gratitude.

Gail Belmont
Director
Quilts of Honor

Posting Colors with Teresa singing National Anthem

QOH

QOH Recipient

QOH Recipient

CDR of Karl Ross Post Receiving QOH

CDR Karl Ross Post

Flo visiting with Army Nurse who served at Letterman Hospital

Our Last Workshop for 2011

Our last Workshop of 2011 was a memorable one!  I’ll try and explain a little of our day:

First, we all got together and decided what projects we were going to work on and who would do what.  We had to select 19 QOH to be presented at an awards ceremony on December 30^th.  After the quilts were selected, I took pictures while Carl held them.  Barbara logged them out on the computer database.  Jan, Shirley and Dianne attached the fabric envelopes holding our QOH thank you letter to the quilts, folded each quilt and placed them in their presentation cases.

Our next task was making pillowcases (presentation cases) for the different branches of the service.  Each case would have either an Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine emblem.  Barbara and Edy brought their sergers – they cook on those machines!  Carl, Mom Belmont and Flo cut fabrics and they were off and running.  Carl and Edy decided to call our workshops “Gail’s sweatshop”.

In the meantime, Myra and Sheila were stitching bindings on quilts and Marsha and Linda were sewing on labels and making more fabric envelopes.  Maryann and Barbara cut backings for tops waiting to be quilted.  So, as you can see, we didn’t stop.  Everyone was busy!

I made stew for lunch and Carl brought an awesome corn chowder soup.  And of course we never go without deserts like brownies, pies, cakes and cookies.

As an added special event, we honored a Marine Purple Heart recipient from Lockeford, CA – Wash, as he is known to most people.  Wash was wounded in 1944 and came home on a hospital ship to San Francisco.  When he woke up in the hospital after being wounded he said he thought he was in heaven – everything was white.  Wash told us some great stories and to hear these stores from a war hero was an honor.  The one story that I’m sure we will always remember was about a 4 year old girl who lived in Guam.  Wash had given her a rag doll his mother had sent him from the States.  Sixty years later, Wash tried to find the little girl who was now a grown woman.  Well, guess what.  They found each other and are now friends and his story and that rag doll are a part of history.  Our other guest was Col. West, also a Marine and a Purple Heart recipient who was awarded a QOH in November.  He wanted to be with Wash to see him honored.  Both Marines told everyone in the room how Honored they were to receive a quilt and that they were going to show their quilts to everyone.

We completed 17 pillowcases (presentation cases), prepared 19 quilts to be awarded, bound 4 quilts, and boxed two quilts for shipping.  I would say we went out with a bang to end 2011.

I want to thank all of you who continue to support us and for the donations that help us continue our mission whether it be embroidery thread, fabric, olives, wine, Bunco gifts, pomegranates, books or money.  It all helps support us throughout the year.

Stay tuned for 2012!

God Bless and Happy New Year,
Gail

Preparing Quilts for Shipping

Mom Belmont and Marsha working on pillowcases

Guests at the December Workshop

Gail presenting QOH to Richard Washburn

Richard Washburn and his QOH

T-Shirt celebrating the Liberation of Guam in WWII

Richard Washburn, Flo and Col. West

4 Marine Veterans — WWII, Vietnam, Korea, WWII

2011 – A Wonderful Year for Quilts of Honor

What a year to remember!  When I sat down to write our summary of this year’s events, I went back and printed the Blog with Jan’s help, and I was speechless realizing all that Quilts of Honor had accomplished in a years time.  It’s pretty hard to get me speechless but it is also hard for me to describe how honored I feel to represent what Quilts of Honor has become.  When I look at your quilts I know they are a labor of love.  Every quilt is different and beautiful and every recipient knows how much you care.  In 2012 we will start anew and continue with our mission.

Happy Holidays from Quilts of Honor!

JANUARY

*We honored Brigadier General Currier from the Army Reserve National Guard who had served 5 tours downrange.

*Our Quilt of Honor Family went to Folsom Fiber Arts Guild to present a QOH.  They are the biggest quilt guild I had ever seen at one meeting.

FEBRUARY

*We prepared  for Angels in the Battlefield.  The top Medics from each branch of the service are honored in Washington DC.  We have been honored the last two years to participate by awarding each Medic a QOH.  The event is held in March and I am usually quilting up to the last minute.

*Flo made the most awesome Quilt of Honor with a poem honoring Johnny, her husband, who had been wounded in Vietnam.  Flo stayed by his side for 40 years caring and loving him.  We lost Johnny in February of this year and our QOH family mourned our loss.  We will never forget the sacrifices Johnny gave for his country and we will continue to tell Flo and Johnny’s story.

MARCH

*We were so busy!  We shipped 13 quilts to Angels in the Battlefield.

*Pauline awarded two quilts in Prescott, AZ to deserving Vietnam veterans.

*Turlock Quilts of Honor family held a night to remember – they awarded a QOH to a 12 year old boy who had been recognized world wide when he wasn’t allowed to take the American flag to school.  They also awarded a QOH to a Vietnam veteran and to the family of a fallen warrior.

*QOH attended the Contra Costa Quilters’ quilt show in Concord, CA.  We had a QOH booth and connected with our QOH group and guild.

*QOH attended the quilt show of Northwind Quilters of Fairfield where we connected with our QOH group and guild and also awarded a QOH to a female veteran.

*Delta Quilters QOH group was also busy in March and awarded a QOH to a returning Iraq veteran.

APRIL

*April was quite special as we were featured at the Haute Couture Fashion Show in Stockton, CA.  We displayed 9 patriotic quilts and awarded 2 QOH to female veterans.  Who would have pictured Quilts of Honor at a fancy fashion show.

*At our April QOH workshop we honored a female Navy Nurse from WWII. 

*We honored the Stockton Veteran of the Year with a Quilt of Honor along with 15 veterans at the Karl Ross Post 16 event.

MAY

*We were honored to be asked to participate in the Calaveras County Fair.  On opening night we gave a presentation to the audience and unveiled Freedom Freddie, our mascot.  We also had a QOH booth for the three days where we displayed our patriotic quilts.

*On Memorial Day our QOH family went on a road trip to the San Joaquin National Cemetery.  We had a QOH booth and awarded 4 Quilts of Honor.  I was honored to be asked to play Taps for the ceremony.  Even though it was windy we all enjoyed our day.

JUNE

*The 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Glenbrook Middle School in Concord had made quilt tops, which QOH quilted, and we honored 19 veterans from all conflicts in a ceremony in Concord.  It was wonderful to have these young children be involved – they even presented the quilts to the veterans with smiles so big I can still see them today.

*Stockton Country Club invited Quilts of Honor to present a QOH to Millie, a WWII veteran, who had never received her bronze star.

JULY

*Road trip to Turlock for the Fourth of July celebration.  We met up with the Turlock QOH group, set up our booth, and awarded 4 QOH to veterans of different conflicts.

AUGUST

*Mom Belmont had her “big” birthday and I must put it in this letter as she is a big part of Quilts of Honor.

*Quilts of Honor was invited to attend a Patriotic Picnic sponsored by Project Thank You.  We awarded 6 QOH – 1 to a Gulf War veteran; 1 to a Vietnam veteran; and 4 to warriors from the Iraq conflict.  We had a great time at the picnic.  This was our second time attending this picnic and we have been invited back again.

*The Karl Ross Post 16 of Stockton and Quilts of Honor honored a Purple Heart recipient from the Vietnam conflict with a QOH.

SEPTEMBER

*Once again Quilts of Honor participated in the Valley Springs POW WOW!  Four days of sun and fun and dust but we were able to raise monies for QOH and awarded three quilts.

*9/11  -  Quilts of Honor was part of the ceremony in Valley Springs to honor all those who lost their lives on 9/11.

*Our quilts were sent to the families of the 3 Nevada National Guard soldiers killed by a gunman in Carson City, NV.  Quilts were also sent to the 2 Guardsman who had been wounded and to the 7 children of the 3 fallen warriors. 

OCTOBER

*Blue Angels – Delta Quilters Quilt Show – Valley Springs motorcycle run – all in one day!  We set up two booths at two different sites and awarded 14 quilts that weekend.  What an accomplishment!

*We held our annual Bunco fundraiser which is always a great time.  We awarded a QOH to a Purple Heart Recipient from the Vietnam conflict.  The crowd, most dressed in Halloween costumes, gave him a standing ovation.  That was quite a site!

NOVEMBER

*Road trip to Palo Alto to participate in a Women Veterans recognition event.  We awarded a QOH to two female veterans.

*Quilts of Honor participated in Tuleburg Quilt Guild’s American Pride quilt show.  Members of the Guild made over 34 Quilts of Honor for the show.  Afterwards, the quilts were given to us to award to our veterans.  During the show, we held a ceremony and awarded 4 Quilts of Honor.  We also had a QOH  booth for the weekend and awarded an additional 2 QOH.

DECEMBER

*We were invited to attend the Okinawa WWII Veterans Ceremony in Lodi.  We awarded 26 Quilts of Honor to very deserving veterans.

*On December 30th we will be attending a ceremomy in Stocktom to honor 18 WWII veterans.

On the 4th Wednesday of every month we hold our QOH workshop.  Members come from Placerville, Folsom, Turlock, Concord, Stockton, Lodi and Valley Springs to help us continue our mission.  Without their support we would never be able to accomplish as much as we do or do it as well.

Our website is wonderful.  We have started a memorial/honorarium page.  When donations are received in memory of or in honor of a loved one or friend, a plaque goes on the wall. 

This year we have received 31 quilt requests from throughout the United States via the website.

Do you have a favorite recipe?  This next year we will be working on a QOH cookbook.  We are hoping to have pictures of quilts and memorial pages to our veterans.  We will be asking you for your recipes soon.

In closing my heart is full of gratitude when I think of all that we have accomplished.  We have awarded over 200 Quilts of Honor this year.  It is overwhelming to see these beautiful quilted hugs of gratitude and to know how much you have given to help our warriors, past and present.

Quilts of Honor is a very special, caring, giving group.  We are what Christmas is about all year long.

(The video at the end of this post is a summary of the events we attended and quilts that were awarded this past year.  Go to the Blog to view the video.)

God bless,
Gail Belmont, Director
Quilts of Honor

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Veterans Day Weekend

For anyone who did not receive notification of Gail’s post regarding Quilts of Honor at the Tuleburg American Pride Quilt Show over the past weekend, here is the link:  http://quiltsofhonor.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/veterans-day-weekend-at-the-tuleburg-american-pride-quilt-show/

WordPress has stated there was a temporary bug in their system which has since been fixed.

Hope you will check it out and view the great photos.

JanBolli
Quilts of Honor

Veterans Day Weekend at the Tuleburg American Pride Quilt Show

What a great weekend Quilts of Honor had celebrating Veterans with a Quilt of Honor Ceremony at the Tuleburg American Pride Quilt Show.

We started our weekend on Veterans Day setting up the Quilts of Honor Booth and the Family Quilting Booth.  We always look forward to the quilt shows. Our friendly weatherman said “no rain”. Well, guess what – it rained the whole time we unloaded on Friday.  But our weather God was good to us on Saturday – the sun was bright and we knew we would be able to have our QOH ceremonies in the courtyard.

Our colors were posted by Karl Ross Post 16 of Stockton.  Those guys were great and they did a beautiful job.  Teresa, an Army Veteran, sang the National Anthem.  I was so proud and honored that she would sing for us.  She has such a gift!  I told her I was going to keep her number on my speed dial.

Pastor Russ, my brother, gave an invocation and we started our ceremonies.  I gave my little speech so everyone would know what we did.  Pastor Russ then blessed the quilts.  I always feel so good when I know these quilts have so much blessing and love with them as they go on their journeys.

We awarded our first quilt to a Navy Seal from Enduring Freedom who told me he wasn’t deserving of his quilt, but as most Americans now know, Navy Seals are very special.  Carlo, God Bless you for your sacrifices and service.  We then awarded the Brigadier General, who is a Silver Star recipient with tours of Korea and Vietnam, his QOH.  The General asked if he could say a few words – I said, “Sir, you’re the General.”  He stepped up and said he accepted his QOH in honor of all those who didn’t come home and thanked our organization for what we do and how wonderful it was.  Both quilts were pieced by Sandy and are beautiful.  She made a lone star because the General has one star.

We then awarded Joe, a Vietnam Purple Heart recipient, his QOH.  He has waited an awful long time to get his “thank you.”  Joe does volunteer work helping veterans and is always there for Color Guard honors.  When we gave Joe his QOH, he looked at it, and you could have heard a pin drop.  I finally said, “Joe, is it ok?”  He said, It’s more than ok.”

One of the nice things was that all the recipients had their families with them, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins – it was great!

It was a beautiful ceremony!  There were a lot of tears in the crowd.  I got lots of hugs and kisses from the guys – this is a pretty good job.

We gave out 4 QOHs at our Quilt of Honor booth to different recipients or their spouses.  We also received 5 new requests for quilts.

Tuleburg Quilt Guild presented us with 32 QOHs from their show.  Thank you so much ladies.  I had quilted their quilts in the past few months.

When I think of how the weekend went, two stories come to my mind and my heart breaks.  One of the quilts, made by a member of the Tuleburg Quilt Guild, is on its way to Texas to her nephew.  It was mailed priority mail this morning.  When she asked if she could give her quilt to her Nephew who had 20 years in the Army and had a Silver Star, I told her we would mail it right after the show.  She said she would get the address and on Saturday morning she called her nephew in Texas to get the address.  She asked how he was doing and he replied, “Auntie, my heart is breaking – my son John Jr. was killed in Afghanistan last week.”  Needless to say, I grabbed her and hugged her.  She said all she could do when she got off the phone was hug his quilt.  Later that day she brought her best friend over to hug the quilt, too.

We also had a lady come up to the Booth and asked me for some time.  She said she would like to give us a donation.  She told me that we had given her neighbor a quilt when she lost her son and that it meant so much to her.  I told her I couldn’t imagine what her neighbor was going through – her son suffered with PTSD and took his own life.  If only we could have given him a quilt in time.

Just know that these quilts, your quilts, do so much – mean so much!  And, ladies and gents, we are being noticed for what we are doing.  We touch a life with every quilt we give.

God Bless you all.  And tons of thanks to my QOH Crew and family!

Gail

We had a big crowd

Posting of the Colors

Singing of the National Anthem by Teresa, Army Veteran

Blessing of the Quilts

Thank you from the Brigadier General for our wonderful work

Brigaddier General with Sandy who pieced his QOH

Joe, Vietnam Purple Heart Recipient

Navy Seal with Brigadier General

Robert, Veteran of Korea and Vietnam

Myra, Sheila and Flo manning the QOH Booth

Myra and Sheila preparing a QOH to award to a WWII Veteran

Joe with his QOH – Joe served multiple tours

Carlo, Navy Seal, Enduring Freedom Conflict with Sandy who pieced the QOH

Lots of Hugs and Kisses – Joe and Joe with their QOHs and Teresa an Army Veteran

Thank you Pastor Russ

Debbie won Raffle Quilt – Giving it to a friend suffering from Agent Orange

WOMEN VETERANS RECOGNITION EVENT IN PALO ALTO

On Tuesday, November 1st, we started our day at 6:30 am – Barbara, Bert and myself, of course.  We drove through Mickey Ds for coffee and headed off to Palo Alto.  About 3 1/2 hours later we pulled up to the VA Center.  They had reserved a parking space for us – I was so excited to see our name – I really get a kick out of these little things.

We displayed 6 Quilts of Honor for all to see.  The Veterans and their families and friends all started to arrive.  They came right over to our table and started buying donation quilt tickets and signing blocks for our warriors.  We heard so many great compliments on how beautiful the quilts were.  They were all so thankful that we could do this for their brothers and sisters.  We met a gentleman who had received a QOH and couldn’t thank us enough for what it meant to him.

I was honored to be able to speak among my fellow veterans and award QOHs to two female veterans who had survived breast cancer.  The first veteran hugged me and cried – she felt so honored.  The second veteran was more stoic, but afterwards she was taking pictures with all of her family.  The quilts were made by Nancy and the North Wind Quilters.

We felt so welcomed by the staff.  Linda and Nicole, thank you for having us.  We hope to be a part of their future events to honor our veterans.

On another note:

I would like to thank the Manteca Quilt Guild for their donation and for inviting me to speak at their meeting this past month.

On November 8th I will be speaking at the Modesto Quilters Guild.  If you are in the area, hope you can come by.

We are also gearing up for our big event – the Tuleburg Quilt Guild’s “American Pride” Quilt Show, November 12th and 13th.  We will have a ceremony honoring Veterans and we will also have our Patriotic Quilts on display.  Hope to see you there.

Our November QOH workshop will be on November 30th because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Hope you can join us.

Thank you all for your continued support.

God bless you,
Gail

Front Row Parking

Event Flier

Introduction

Let me tell you about QOH

More about QOH

More about QOH

Quilt Presentation

Quilt Presentation

Quilt Presentation

Quilt Presentation

Quilt Presentation

Group Photo

ANOTHER GREAT QOH BUNCO FUNDRAISER

HALLOWEEN BUNCO FUNDRAISER

Saturday night, October 29^th was our QOH Halloween Bunco fundraiser – what a great night!

No one knew who I was until I spoke or until they looked into my eyes.  It was cool being Uncle Sam but he can keep that white hair.  I think I’m still pulling hair out of my teeth.  Mom Belmont was a Rocker and of course everyone got a laugh out of that one.  Miss Bert was a fancy lady with a bust as big as mountains;  Linda was a biker babe; Willene was a pirate; and Debbie stepped out in her PJs – we had a little of everything.  We laughed, ate, drank and raised money to continue our mission.

The best part of the evening was awarding a Purple Heart recipient from the Vietnam era, his long overdue quilt.  I have known this man for over a decade and never knew until last month that he had received a purple heart.  It still is not something he will talk about.  I will only say that he is a very giving veteran and volunteers countless hours to different organizations.  I was honored to award him a Quilt of Honor that Carl had made.

And we can’t forget about the great deserts that Nancy made – German Chocolate Cake and Carrot Cake – everyone couldn’t wait to get to their deserts!

To all of you who continue to support our mission – Thank you.  We couldn’t do it without you.

God Bless,
Gail

Great Turnout

Costume Parade

Rocker

QOH Presentation

Uncle Sam

A Busy Weekend and An Afternoon With the Blue Angels

October 8^th and 9^th was a busy weekend for Quilts of Honor, one we won’t soon forget.  We attended three different events to further our QOH Mission.

Our  first was Delta Quilters Quilt Show in Antioch.  We had a QOH booth, met with Delta Quilters QOH group, and received three quilts that they had completed.

On Sunday we were what I call spread pretty thin. Bert and Debbie held down the booth at the Delta Quilters Quilt Show; Lynne attended a motorcycle run in Valley Springs where she awarded a QOH to a deserving veteran.  Dad Belmont, Cliff, Willene, Carl, Bonnie, Chuck, Stacy, Jay and I headed to Vacaville to attend a Symposium for the Blue Angels.  We set up a booth to showcase our quilts and a table for people to sign blocks to our warriors.

It didn’t take long before our quilts brought them over.  Carl and I would tell our story and explain our Mission and by the time we were done all of the Angels signed a block for a QOH.  You normally would have to pay for their autographs – you know they are famous – but they signed them all for free and they hadn’t even received their quilts.  It was great to have such a great crew to help.  We took turns listening to the Blue Angel’s stories, and there were quite a few.

When the time came to award their quilts, they all seemed deeply surprised.  When I got to the third Blue Angel, as I handed him his quilt he grabbed me by my shoulders and gave me a big kiss – you could say I was quite surprised.  I even told the crowd now that was worth coming for.  In all the time I’ve been awarding quilts, and it’s many, I’ve only been kissed two times.

When I came to the female assigned to the Blue Angels, I told her I was honored to award her a quilt as she helped pave the way for females in the military.  As you can see from the smiles in the pictures below, our quilts meant so much to them.  We were all honored to meet their wives and we got to take pictures – it was a proud moment for Quilts of Honor.  I thank Northern California Fighter Aces for letting us be a part of this event.

It’s hard to believe what we can accomplish with so few people.  We are mighty by what we give and do.  One year ago we were able to honor the Navajo Code Talkers.  We are so grateful to everyone who helps us continue our mission.

We are now preparing for November 1^st – we will be at the Palo Alto Women’s Veterans Recognition Event where we will hang Quilts of Honor.

And, don’t forget November 12^th and 13^th!  We will be at the Tuleburg Quilt Guild’s “American Pride” Quilt Show in Stockton at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple,
33 W. Alpine, Stockton.  Hope to see you there!

Please keep those beautiful quilts coming.  God Bless

Gail

Thank You for Your Gifts

Gail’s Cake

The Birthday Girl

Gifts came in all different ways on Wednesday. My big gift was I made it to the big “60” and was able to celebrate it with the Quilts of Honor Family at our monthly workshop.  They say you should spend all your big birthdays doing what you love to do with those you love and I got both!  We had a great lunch – Dad Belmont cooked his famous pulled pork.  There were salads and of course, Carl made his famous Shortbread cookies – I was lucky to get the last one.  I had to wear a “60 Tiara” but I didn’t have to cook.  Flo brought the most beautiful flag cake – I didn’t want to cut into it.  And instead of gifts, they donated to our cause – how cool is that!

The coolest thing about our monthly workshops is getting to see everyone and a lot of them come miles to help us continue our mission.  These ladies and gentleman hardly ever miss a month and that in itself speaks volumes. Thank you all for a great, special day!

We also found out on Wednesday that Johnny Brooks, of “Johnny and Flo” will have his name engraved on the Vietnam Wall. We are so proud and honored for the Brooks family.

This past month we awarded 15 QOH.  We are now preparing for two quilt shows where we will have a QOH Booth:  October 2^nd and 3^rd at the Sierra Gold Harvest Quilt Show, Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth; and October 8^th & 9^th at the 2011 Delta Quilters Quilt Show, Contra Costa Fairgrounds in Antioch.  Also on October 9^th, we will be attending the Northern California Friends of the American Fighter Aces event in Vacaville where we will be awarding Quilts of Honor to 7 Commanders of the Blue Angels.  Gonna be a busy weekend.

Anyone going to the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara on October
13-16?  Our “Liberty Baltimore” quilt that was appliquéd and given to us by Lisa has been entered in the show to help us spread the word about Quilts of Honor.
If you’re going, please check it out.  October is starting on a busy note but what a joy to do this.

We gave another Memorial QOH to a family who lost their husband and father at 42 years of age.  My brother, Pastor Russ, awarded the quilt to the family.  He told them that these quilts were like big warm hugs and that when they were wrapped in the quilt, God was protecting and comforting them.  The children are 8 and 13 and they began to cry but it was a good cry.  These quilts, when given, mean so much to so many so always remember that what you are doing is very important.

Thank you all for coming to our workshops and keep up your great work.

Stay tuned for more up and coming events.

God Bless,
Gail

9/11 Remembered

Ten years is a long time and how our lives have changed since 9/11.  Everyone can tell you exactly where they were the moment the Twin Towers were hit.  I know it changed my life and I’m sure it changed many of yours.  What we do now has  become so meaningful and it’s all the result of that fateful day.

This past evening we honored Michael J. Gregory who was killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.  His Sister accepted the QOH on his behalf.  I can’t imagine how it felt to
lose part of your family that day.  We went on about our lives but 9/11 will always be remembered by all.

It was such an honor to be a part of the 9/11 Ceremony to honor so many people.  We began the Ceremony with the Highway Patrol and Sheriff Cars, Fire Trucks and Ambulance driving up the hill, lights on and sirens blazing.  It was a beautiful site and gave us goose bumps. They deserved the honor for what they do for us.

The National Anthem was then sung beautifully by Marie.  Each Department was recognized.  Foothill Fire presented the 4/5 ringing of the bell to honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  It was awesome.

Then it was Quilts of Honor’s turn.  We awarded beautiful quilts pieced by Caroline of Sacramento and Sandy also from Sacramento.

Paul Coca sang “We the People”, a great song written by Noreen Coca.  It can be viewed on YouTube.  Commander Lou called us all to attention for a 21 Gun Salute performed by American Legion Post 102.  I played taps – I always get nervous, never wanting to miss a note.  Major Mike was called to the front to help lower the flag as I played to the Retiring of the Colors.  I think we did good!

Quilts of Honor received so many wonderful comments.  I am so proud of all of you.  The people just loved to see the quilts.  This week we are preparing to send 5 QOHs to the National Guard in Nevada.  Three National Guard members were killed and two were wounded in their own home town after returning from
downrange.  We hope our quilts will provide comfort to their families.  We also gave two quilts this past week to a Mother who has two sons in the Army – one has had 4 tours and the other son has had 6 tours – all combat related.

Our Mission is a great one all because we work to cover those who have served in
harm’s way protecting our freedoms.

Please keep up the good work.  Hope to see some of you on our QOH workday, September 28^th.

God bless all of you and thank you so much for your continued support.

Gail

These are photos taken at the 9/11 Memorial Observance (in no particular order).

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