RESCUE QUILTS: Building Trust, Giving Hope...One Quilt at a Time

the problem:

When I was 15, the evening news showed a small child wrapped in a policeman's jacket being carried away after a deadly tragedy.He had only a diaper and tee shirt on. The temperature was 22 degrees outside. At that moment, RESCUE QUILTS was born. I knew I could make a difference in the lives of some children in crisis. I worked directly with the Birmingham Police Department to set up a program that would make small blankets and quilts available for officers to distribute to children in trauma. Many times these quilts are the only possessions these children will have to carry with them to temporary shelters. Since it's birth in January of 2007, Rescue Quilts now has its first group sponsors in the Birmingham Quilter's Guild and Mission Possible Club. Each group will pledge over 260 quilts and blankets this year to the project.I have made over 40 blankets by using baby sitting money to buy fleece. By offering this small token of a quilt to a child in crisis, we are Building Trust and Giving Hope to our most innocent victims! I take the finished quilts, attach a note to each one saying,"Someone is saying a prayer and thinking about you. Love, A Friend". I then wrap each quilt in a clear plastic bag and deliver to the police department. Someone there receives them and gets them to the different precincts for distribution. The officers often carry several in the trunk of their cars to have when the need arises. I am called when their supply is low and I deliver more. I was told that the first three quilts went to three siblings ages 4,5,and 8 who were victims of abuse. They were taken from their home with nothing but the clothes on their backs; no favorite toy or even a sweater. The officer who called me stated that the children were crying and very upset. When he presented the quilts to them, they all covered up, almost like in a cacoon, and settled down. One asked if they could keep the "covers" and he said they could. He said he saw them smile for the first time. At present I am working with 5 different police jurisdictions in surrounding communities to start Rescue Quilts. We are making some good progress and the police departments are all very receptive. A "security" blanket can give a sense of belonging and safety. Who doesn't fondly remember a special doll, blanket, or stuffed animal that made them feel safe at night? Rescue Quilts gives that same sense of refuge to a child in crisis. My goal, over the next two years, is to make quilts and blankets available to every police precinct in the state of Alabama...one quilt at a time!

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