Wisdom From the Professionals A collection of Articles

MATERIAL NEEDED FOR QUILTS FOR TROOPS
By Semper Fi Parents Hudson Valley (NY)

Semper Fi Parents Hudson Valley (NY) is a support group for families who have loved ones in the military either deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan or Stateside awaiting deployment. We are a New York State recognized charity, 5013c, not for profit. We have about 50 members and we raise money for scholarships and mailing hundreds of care packages to our local troops as well as ones we "adopt". At Christmas we have Operation Santa and set up in our local mall to collect items needed by the troops and the wounded soldiers. At the present time we are sending hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies sold by our local Girl Scouts, we called it "Troops helping Troops". We hold conferences and have guest speakers including "wounded warriors" that we bring up to our meetings from Camp LeJuene NC.

Another one of our very special things we do is make quilts and quillows (quilts that fold into pillows). We give them to our local hero's and we send them to the troops in Landshul Military Hospital in Germany and Camp LeJuene who have been wounded, Ft. Hood and Hope for Warriors in Texas. We have worked with Marine Comfort group in the past. We call our quilts "Appreciation Quilts". We have our families and friends sign the quilt squares with words of hope and thanks. We also have local schools, Girl Scout troops, VA hospital and set up the quilt squares at the local baseball triple AAA games for the spectators to sign. Some of the messages, particularly the ones from the children have brought me to tears. Such as thank you for saving my home, thank you for saving me and my family and one little 10 year old girl scout wrote "I feel badly when I'm out playing and having fun and you are getting shot at, please forgive me for being happy and please come home safe". We also make special "Comfort Quilts" and send them to the families of the soldiers who have been killed in the war, the Gold Star Families.

Our funds are limited and we are in need of all types of material and threads to keep our quilting going. Any type of material is welcome as well as Fleece for the backing on the quilts. We need red, navy blue and any camaflague color fleece. Patriotic material is very welcome, anything with Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, Coast Guard.

The quilt squares are cut into 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 and are designed by Semper Fi Parent JoAnn Schmidt and Sandy Mandigo and together with Sharon Petersen, Joanne Peterson and Mary Ann Green, other Semper Fi members, are sewn with love. Any fabric, thread, etc., may be sent to JoAnn Schmidt, 156 Ketchamtown Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590. JoAnn Schmidt can answer any questions you have so please contact her at her email address jcds1018@aol.com or call her at 845-297-1497.

Please check out our web page to see who we are and what we do and to read some thank you notes from our brave soldiers. see www.semperfiparentshv.org

Thank you for helping us help our hero's.