News

CCQ received a letter from Chaplain Wendy Fish at Good Samaritan Hospital thanking us for quilts made by our students and donated to their hospice program. Here’s an excerpt from her letter: First, let me say a heartfelt thank you! It means so very much to families to have your quilts. The quilts are put on a patient’s bed when a patient is near the end of life. The patient is most often not communicative, although patients sometimes indicate through body language (nod/ eyes open/ finger raised) that they feel the love you provide through your generous gift. Families, on the other hand, and we most often place quilts when loved ones are present, families are often tearful, always grateful to feel held in kindness, generosity, and a wider love just when they feel so sad, full of heart-ache, and often experience a sense of needing to be reminded that they are not alone. Chaplain Wendy went on to give stories about 11 quilts and the patients who received them. Here’s one: Michelle F made a quilt with stars and planets. This patient had a thirst for worldly understanding and particularly the Hubble telescope. He was a well-loved man with a sense of humor who would have appreciated the gift. The quilt went to our patient’s mother. His two brothers and sister were also present. Thank you!

On July 7, Merriley Smith, a retired special education teacher, shared her expertise in teaching students with challenges in a roundtable discussion with CCQ instructors. We find that some CCQ students have a variety of learning challenges. Some have cognitive impairment from past drug use while others lack a basic education. In these situations Merriley recommends using techniques that special ed teachers use with students who have attention deficit disorder. Some of these techniques include using simple language, making eye contact, giving directions with a minimum of steps, showing examples of the quilting techniques being taught and offering appropriate affirmation and praise.

CCQ student quilts are on display at the Wilsonville Library during the entire month of July. In addition to the quilts, the exhibit offers a peek into the prison classroom with a new slide show displaying continuously on a digital picture frame. Instructor-made quilts are also on display and available for purchase at the library. The Wilsonville Library is located at 8200 SW Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville, OR. Library hours are posted on the library’s website.

Ten instructor-made quilts will be part of a quilt show at Summerfield Estates, a retirment community in Tigard. The beautiful quilt shown here was made by Nancy Dudley, one of the instructors in our Tuesday morning class. The quilts will be available for purchase at prices ranging from $50 to $200 as part of CCQ’s ongoing fundraising efforts. Other quilts in the show were made by members of Tualatin Valley Quilt Guild and residents of Summerfield Estates. The show will be one day only on Thursday, June 28, 10 am to 2 pm. Summerfield Estates is located at 11205 SW Summerfield Drive, Tigard, Oregon.

Coffee Creek Quilters donates more than 150 student-made quilts every year to a variety of organizations. This year our instructors and members made quilts for donation too. Forty-two kids attending a special summer camp for grieving children will receive member-made comfort quilts from CCQ. We made the quilts for Camp Erin, where young people learn to cope with the loss of a loved one. Camp Erin is a national program funded by the Moyer Foundation. Camps are held in 18 cities throughout the country and open to children between the ages of 6 and 17. The camp is free for kids; funding comes from the Moyer Foundation and local groups. Oregon’s Camp Erin is administered by the Providence Foundation and will take place this year at Camp Kuratli in Boring, OR, August 17-19.

Karen Bell joined CCQ in January of 2008 as an instructor in the Thursday afternoon class. A year before she retired she saw a brochure about the CCQ program and knew that is what she would do when she retired. After four years volunteering with CCQ she feels blessed to be part of this program and for the opportunity to work with a group of wonderful women and to share her love of quilting with our students.  She’s been a quilter for more than 20 years  and enjoys combining bright colors with traditional patterns. Karen currently serves as President of CCQ’s Board of Directors. She’s also our volunteer coordinator and, in that capacity, makes sure all the teaching slots in our four classes are filled. Karen is a nurse who retired, after 30 years, from Providence Health and Services as the Director of the Providence Hospice Programs. From hospice Karen learned the invaluable addition volunteers make to a program. She keeps busy in retirement. In addition to her CCQ commitments, Karen also volunteers with the Beaverton Library, cares for her grandnephew Xander and enjoys scrapbooking.