The ladies of the Norris Homemaker Volunteers Quilting Club come together once a month and put their amazing talents together to create beautiful quilts. While all the ladies really enjoy quilting it is the visiting with one another and the comradery that they enjoy the most.
A very close second is using their quilting talents to create both quilts and monetary donations to help less fortunate people in the area, and two children’s charity hospitals that provide life-saving care for children. These gracious ladies invest a lot of time and love into making their quilts and they sow these gifts of love and comfort throughout the community.
The quilters first started the club for the activity and being able to visit. They quickly found out that they would be able to put their beautiful creations to work helping others. In addition to making quilts to raise funds the club has branched out to other areas. Club president Lazora Eichelberg says, “we do Christmas baskets every year to raise money for local schools.”
When the club has their monthly meeting, they work in unison on larger quilts that they either donate, sell or use as a raffle prize to raise money that will be donated to children’s hospitals or to buy supplies for local schools. They also make smaller baby blankets individually throughout the year in order to build up enough blankets to donate to Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House or Mississippi Care Center in Morton.
The ladies visited the Mississippi Care Center in March where they displayed their work for all residents to see. Club member Carolyn Nester says, “nothing in life is worth anything unless you can share it with someone.”
Any hospital stay can be unnerving to the strongest of adults. An extended hospital stay while undergoing daily treatments to save their lives can be petrifying for children. The Norris quilters attempt to bring a small piece of joy and comfort to each child with the gift of their very own quilt. These quilts not only provide extra warmth for those nights in their cold hospital rooms, they provide a sense of comfort as they wrap themselves in their blankets.
When the kids finally get to head home they will have their new blanket packed too. Each blanket has a tag sewn in so that every recipient will remember the special group of ladies that made them the blanket.
The club works hard and does hours and hours of quilting in order to fill the need of blankets at the hospitals. When you love doing something and you know that all your hard work goes to benefit others it can make for a very fulfilling process.
Nester says, “Making quilts is addicting.”
All the ladies in the club are not only addicted to quilting but they are addicted to helping others and our community and those in need are much warmer and better off because of their dedication. The eldest member of the club Vallie Burnes turned 100 years old this year and loves being part of any of the activities she can make it to.
The group started the quilting club around seven years ago, and what started out as merely meetings and time to visit has transformed into a club with a mission. As long as the club continues on this mission they will continue to create beautiful quilts and covering the community with their generosity and graciousness.
