Quilts of Valor has been in existence since 2003 when Catherine Roberts' son was deployed in Iraq.
Catherine had a dream, which according to her, "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."
Each of the quilts is required to have specific dimensions and must be quilted (hand or machine quilting) and note tied. Each includes a note sewed into it that states "Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation."
Locally, the Wakefield Quilt Shop Quilts of Valor quilting group was organized in 2016 and awarded its first three quilts on Veterans Day that year. Since that time the group has presented a total of 649 quilts.
The majority of these quilts have been awarded to veterans in Wayne, Wakefield, Emerson, Winside and Stanton.
Most of the presentations occur on Veterans' Day in November, although in recent years, the group has had presentations during Wayne's Henoween celebration in July.
Anyone interested in being a part of the quilting group is welcome join them on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Quilt Shop in Wakefield. In addition to the regular meeting times, the group gathers periodically throughout the year for an entire weekend of quilting.
Donations for the supplies, along with food for these events are appreciated.
For more information on the Quilts of Valor program at the Quilt Shop in Wakefield, call(402) 287-2325.
