Pubdate: Sun, 09 Sep 2007
Source: Harrison Daily Times (AR)
Copyright: 2007, Harrison Daily Times
Contact:  http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1815
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2773
Author: Richard Allen Dickey, Special to the Times

STITCH-IN-TIME QUILT GUILD MEMBERS WORK FOR NEEDY CHILDREN

What happens when you take a hand full of generous women, add a group
of needy children and give it a good shake. You get the
"Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild."What happens when you take a hand full of
generous women, add a group of needy children and give it a good
shake. You get the "Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild."

The Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild is a group of women that love the art
of quilting and want to help their community. They meet on the third
Tuesday of each month at the Methodist Church in Diamond City.

The hard part to understand is how quilting can help a community? Well
lets see if I can shine a little light on the process.

About four months ago, the Night-n-Gales Evening Quilt Guild in
Harrison and the Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild of Diamond City, in
conjunction with the Boone County Sheriff's Department and the 14th
Judicial Drug Task Force, identified a need; the need for blankets and
comforting items for children that have been removed from their home.

These children are the innocent victims that remain after a meth lab
has been shut down by police.

When one of these drug producing facilities is shut down, nothing from
the home can be removed for fear of transferring contaminated
material. The chemicals used in the production of meth are very toxic.

All children, especially the very young, are afraid, confused and
often have no one to turn to when a drug bust occurs. The world as
they know it has just been turned upside down.

A reassuring word from a law enforcement officer, along with a
hand-made blanket and a teddy bear can be the first step to help these
children get through the initial psychological trauma that has occurred.

Since the beginning of this small program, it has expanded to include
any child in the Boone County area that a police officer feels has
been the victim of abuse or neglect. This one little thing may be
enough to convince a child that there are people who care.

Barbara Heuer and Ellen Dickey are busy working on one of the many
quilts that will be used in this program to help children. The space
they need to coordinate their ideas and construct the quilts has been
donated by the Methodist Church in Diamond City.

The women involved in the Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild and the
Night-n-Gales Evening Quilt Guild donate their time, equipment and
money to make the quilts. Recently they have received donations
consisting of material that can be used to make these hand made quilts.

If you would like to help them by donating your time, material or even
a sewing machine, call Barbara Heuer at (870) 414-####. She is the
secretary of the Stitch-in-Time Quilt Guild and can answer all your
questions.

Their membership is open to anyone interested in quilting. Help them
so they can help others.
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MAP posted-by: Derek