MISSION STATEMENT:Transforming discontinued, unwanted and other fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.
A Letter from the Founder
It seems like only yesterday that I discovered a wealth of discontinued fabric samples being thrown away. In those days it never occurred to me that we’d be an International organization today. I was only looking to save some fabric samples from a landfill. I was assured by all my friends and family that this was a dumb idea and no one would make quilts for some stranger’s child…and do it for free! Well, all these years later you have managed to prove these naysayer’s wrong, for you have given from your heart and helped to turn tears into smiles for the tens of thousands of children that you never even knew existed.
In 2007 the majority of fabric mills moved offshore to places like Korea, China & Japan. The US government did not bail them out like they did the auto and banking industry so they left the country. Those wonderful 18 wheelers loaded with donated fabric are not coming our way any longer and we were forced to either close (NOT an option) or find funding to purchase fabric.
The fabric companies that have always supported us have reduced their prices to enable us to buy fabric so we can stay in business. Discontinued fabric samples will always be kept from landfills, and you have had to become creative in figuring out what to do with the heavy fabric that comes our way…promising not to throw any of it into landfills. Through our partnership with Lutheran World Relief, many of the heavyweight fabrics have become heavy blankets that were sent overseas to orphaned children in developing countries who use them to sleep on.
The fabric companies that have always supported us have reduced their prices to enable us to buy fabric so we can stay in business. Discontinued fabric samples will always be kept from landfills, and you have had to become creative in figuring out what to do with the heavy fabric that comes our way…promising not to throw any of it into landfills. Through our partnership with Lutheran World Relief, many of the heavyweight fabrics have become heavy blankets that were sent overseas to orphaned children in developing countries who use them to sleep on.
EVERY YEAR HERE IS SPECIAL AND WE ARE THANKFUL TO OUR PARTNERS:
P&G AND DOWNY for the Downy Touch of Comfort Program that enabled us to create over 10,000 quilt kits to send to quilters across the country, helping us to turn tears into smiles in many more children.
CHANDRA WILSON OF GREY’S ANATOMY for acting as spokesperson for The Downy Touch of Comfort Program and bringing news of QFK to everyone.
ROBERT KAUFMAN FABRIC COMPANY for creating a line of 33 fabrics by Amy Schimler to benefit QFK.
WASTE MANAGEMENT for lending us their conference center for workshops.
DOMINION ENERGY for providing grants to fund workshops.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AND THE ROTARY CLUB OF LANGHORNE, PA for matching grants to purchase brightly colored child-friendly fabric to make quilts.
CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS for partnering with us and The Downy Touch of Comfort team so we are able to bring comfort to children in CMN hospitals across the country.
P&B FABRICS for donating a truckload of fabric.
KATHERINE BELL for featuring Quilts for Kids in her book, Quilting for Peace.
DEBBIE MUMM for including us in her latest book, I Care with Quilts.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE OTHER COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR LIVES ON A DAILY BASIS. SEE OUR FACT SHEET FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Linda Arye
Founding President
Quilts for Kids, Inc.
Founding President
Quilts for Kids, Inc.
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