An Opportunity to Help

Hello Everyone,

I've posted this quilt before and it's a good time to post it again. I made this quilt for my sister Gail when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The quilt is from Elizabeth Scott's book called, The ABC's of Words on Quilts. This quilt meant a lot to my sister and it was healing for me to make it for her. I felt that I was doing something to help her. What is more important than Home - Love - Friends - and Family.

I received an email the other day from Jeffree Itrich, a Sr. Clinical Trials Communication Specialist for the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California, San Diego. Jeffree started a project to give quilts to Alzheimer's patients who are enrolled in their clinical studies. Jeffree saw my blog and contacted me to see if I could help spread the word. Here's the article about the program:

Quilts brighten the lives of Alzheimer's Patients

Quilters have long known that a quilt is a loving tribute that bonds quilters with recipients across generations and across vast distances. The warmth of a quilt is enhanced by the often bright patterns and colorful images which frequently suggest a simpler time.

Under a unique donation program organized by Jeffree Itrich of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)and the University of California San Diego, quilts are brightening the lives of Alzheimer's patients around the nation.

The Alzheimer’s Study Quilt Program began in late January 2010. As a quilter herself, she knows how positively people react when given a quilt and how quilters are amazingly generous people. Her plea for quilts to give participants in the NGF Nerve Growth Factor) Study was picked up by numerous quilting newsletters. Good
Samaritans circulated the request for quilts and they began arriving from communities all over the U.S. The program has received nearly enough quilts for
all the NGF Study participants and are now looking for quilts for our IgIV and
ADNI studies.

Those study participants who have received quilts so far realize that the quilts were made with love, sincerity, and gratitude (to the volunteers for participating in the study and helping future generations). Many of the quilters had family members with Alzheimer’s (AD). One woman who lost her mother to AD made and donated 12 quilts and another whose grandfather had AD provided 11 quilts. A woman in Pennsylvania made five flannel quilts in one week!

If you would like to donate a lap-sized quilt to the Alzheimer’s Quilt Study Project, please contact Jeffree Itrich at jitrich@ucsd.edu.

Here is the link to the site http://www.adcs.org/

Alzheimer's took my uncle's life just last year. I feel that this is a worthwhile program and would like to spread the word. I know the healing power of a quilt.

Enjoy and love your Home, Friends and Family this week and always.

As always,

Lynn