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Wrapping veterans in Quilts of Valour

Quilts made by volunteers gifted to military vets
10691kimberleydailyquilt
Veterans Wayne

Think of it as giving a military veteran a hug and saying thank you for your service, and we care about you.

That’s what Quilts of Valour is all about. In the past couple of weeks four local veterans have received the quilts, presented to them by Military Ames facilitator Cindy Postnikoff, whose goal is to present a quilt to every veteran in the area who has been “touched by war”.

The QOV Foundation was founded in the USA in 2003 by the mother of a soldier, Catherine Roberts. The idea of QOV was to comfort veterans and ward off “war demons” that trouble them.

The idea spread to Canada and to date over 5,000 quilts have been presented to Canadian veterans.

“They are made by volunteers who sew love, caring and gratitude from their hearts through their hands, into the quilts they make,” Postnikoff said. “The mission of QOV is to honor service members and veterans who have been touched by war with Quilts of Valour.

“The foundation represents one human being reaching out and touching another, without judgment, reaching out with acceptance and with an acknowledgment of service to our country.

“As the mother of a veteran and personally knowing several veterans I know there are many out there who will forever be ‘touched by war”. Tragically those experiences and the ‘war demons’ will never go away, but it’s  acknowledgments like Quilts of Valor that let our veterans know we remember their sacrifices and we appreciate all they have given. I recently had the honor of presenting several Quilts of Valor to local veterans. The veterans were very touched by the quilts and truly felt the love that was sewn into them.”

The Quilt of Valor is not a charity quilt, Postnikoff says. A Quilt of Valor is not a blanket. A quilt consists of three layers and at QOV they prefer to think of it this way:

The top of the quilt and its many colors, shapes and fabrics, represents the communities and the many individuals we are.

The batting, the filler, is the center of the quilt, its warmth. It represents  hope that this quilt will bring warmth, comfort and peace, and healing to the individual that receives it.

The backing is the strength that supports the other layers. It represents the strength of the recipient, the support of his or her family, our communities and our country.

Each stitch that holds the layers together represents love, gratitude, and sometimes the tears of the maker.

“I have every intention of presenting Quilts of Valour to all and any veterans that have been ‘touched by war’,” Postnikoff said.

If you have a family member or know of a veteran and would like them to receive a Quilt of Valour please contact Cindy at 250-919-3137.

Military Ames will be holding a fund raiser this weekend in the Credit Union parking lot, and Postnikoff encourages one and all to come on down and meet them.

Military Ames is a group formed to provide an opportunity for military veterans to get together and share common experiences and camaraderie. The group gets together twice a month. If you are a military veteran this sounds like something you might enjoy, contact Postnikoff at the above number.

 



Carolyn Grant

About the Author: Carolyn Grant

I have been with the Kimberley Bulletin since 2001 and have enjoyed every moment of it.
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