{"id":3573,"date":"2012-11-26T01:00:15","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T01:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whyquiltsmatter.org\/staging20231003\/?p=3573"},"modified":"2023-10-06T17:28:41","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T17:28:41","slug":"why-do-quilts-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whyquiltsmatter.org\/staging20231003\/news\/why-do-quilts-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Why DO Quilts Matter? A Few More Reasons…"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this month, we received a tweet from the owner of a quilt shop\u00a0in Raleigh, NC. It read: “@WhyQuiltsMatter – so glad our shop @wishuponaquilt is sending quilts to the victims of #Sandy – that’s why quilts matter.”<\/p>\n
That Raleigh quilt shop is Wish Upon A Quilt<\/a>, and–as a result of a call for quilts issued on their blog<\/a>–the shop\u00a0quickly collected and dispatched approximately 50 quilts to the NY Metro area heavily ravaged by Superstorm Sandy (and its aftermath). The driving force behind this amazing relief effort is\u00a0New York City quilter, Victoria Findlay Wolfe (Bumblebeans BASICS<\/a>).\u00a0Victoria reports that the response has been overwhelming–so<\/strong> <\/em>overwhelming, in fact, that the offices of the distributing agency have been swamped<\/em> with beautiful quilts, and no more quilts can or will be accepted after December 7. She thanks quilters around the country for their incredible generosity, and\u00a0encourages them to\u00a0seek alternative programs\u00a0still in need of assistance with recovery.<\/p>\n When we heard about\u00a0Victoria’s heartfelt, well-organized, and obviously successful\u00a0outreach effort, we got to thinking about other ways that quilters are using quilts to bring hope and comfort to those in need. If you ever had a doubt that quilts DO matter, read on…<\/p>\n During the four-and-a-half days at the 2012 International Quilt Festival in Houston,\u00a0the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative<\/a>,\u00a0founded by Michigan quilter Ami Simms<\/a>, sold 1,597 quilts, earning $75,000 for the AAQI. Read more about AAQI’s\u00a0outstanding success\u00a0in Houston here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Alzheimer\u2019s Art Quilt Initiative is a national, grassroots charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research for this devastating disease. Since 2006, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has raised more than $870,000<\/strong> for Alzheimer\u2019s research through donations, the sale and auction of donated quilts, and various other fundraising activities.\u00a0As a result, grants have been awarded to researchers at Cornell, the University of Michigan, University of California\/San Diego, Temple University, and other similar institutions. Visit the AAQI website to learn 33 Ways You Can Help<\/a>–including purchasing or donating a quilt!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n