Brotherly Love: Making Quilts For Kids
By Ukee Washington
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Bucks County non-profit helps tens of thousands of hospitalized children every year with an army of artists making quilts.
Every weekday morning, sewing machines buzz inside the storefront home of Quilts for Kids. Every quilt is meant for a child in distress after a natural disaster, after a fire, or in a hospital.
"I was the mom in the hospital with a sick child," said founder Linda Arye. Her daughter Mollie was hospitalized twice with life-threatening illnesses and everything carrying germs had to be taken away.
"And the first thing they took away from her that she wanted more than anything was her Bear-Bear," Linda said.
Years later, Linda, an interior designer, realized that fabric that would otherwise head to a landfill could be repurposed as washable and comforting quilts.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds of fabric are either purchased at a discount or donated every year.
"They're yummy, they're fun. it's like a sorbet or a sherbet. The colors are incredible," Linda said.
Some of the quilts are sewn right here. Other fabric pieces are cut, arranged, and packed into quilt kits to send to volunteer quilters across the country.
Jackie Mills, a quilter, said, "They can't necessarily have their blankie from home or their toys, but these quilts can comfort them."
Their goal is at least 30,000 quilts a year. Linda calls the quilters her heroes.
"There's nothing better than knowing that a child is comforted by a quilt they made," Linda said.
Monetary donations are key -- it costs about $55 to make and send one quilt. To help, donate at http://www.quiltsforkids.org/
