Sunday, Feb. 17, was National Random Act of Kindness Day.
Combining a random act of kindness with honoring a military veteran kicks kindness to a higher level, in our opinion.
Up in the growing town of Petoskey in northern Michigan, the Little Traverse Bay Quilters Guild meets the second Thursday of every month for their membership programs. Quilt of Valor™ workshops are held at Hearts to Holly Quilt Shop in Charlevoix the first Wednesday of each month. Quilters in the area bring their machines and work together to sew specially-designed patriotic quilts that honor U.S. military veterans. As the machines whir and the needle punctures the fabric, each stitch reminds them of their gratitude toward the men and women who have served our country.
As a way to thank the veterans for their sacrifice and courage, each Quilt of Valor™ recipient is presented with a message from the guild’s volunteer members. Paying homage to the veteran’s service, the note honors the veteran for leaving all held dear to stand in harm’s way and protect the nation from effects of war.
Tresa Keys, coordinator of the local Quilt of Valor™ group, likes to quote Catherine Roberts of the Quilt of Valor™ national program: “We can’t give our lives, but we can give our hearts.”
“That’s what our guild members do every day as we work at making and giving away our quilts,” Keys says.
And it’s clear that their hearts are in their project. Since 2014, the guild has awarded quilts to nearly 300 veterans, primarily in northern Michigan areas. In 2018, Great Lakes Energy’s People Fund—using money voluntarily contributed by GLE members in their own random act of kindness—provided a $1,000 grant to help cover supplies to make more Quilts of Valor™ for veterans.
With the firm belief that every veteran deserves a quilt, the guild continues to meet and sew, ensuring that the shoulders of those who carried the weight of protecting this country can be warmed on cold nights.
For more information on Little Traverse Bay Quilters or the Quilt of Valor™ program, contact Tresa Keys at (231) 758-6530.
Visit here to learn more about or join our People Fund.
