Between mid-July and mid-September, approximately 200 Boulder Colorado Stake quilters made 215 quilts that ultimately will head to victims of natural disasters.
At the end of May, William Reynolds, manager of the LDS Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City, sent a letter to the Boulder Colorado Stake, a local geographical boundary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He informed the stake's leadership of the need for quilts and invited the stake to help replenish the center's inventory.
Reynolds said handmade quilts are often sent with other materials to humanitarian projects around the world. Because of recent needs, he said the center was short 1,400 double quilts and 2,600 single quilts for its target inventory levels.
The Boulder Stake has approximately 3,000 members in congregations called wards in Boulder, Broomfield, Erie, Lafayette, Louisville and Superior. The stake was one of 14 stakes the humanitarian center invited to make quilts. Supplies were purchased by funds from the center while the quilting work took place in the local wards.
After receiving the letter, Angie Branch, the president of the stake's Relief Society, or women's organization, said, "We are honored and delighted to participate and feel that by helping others our lives will be greatly blessed as well." She added a committment for 200 quilts from the stake.
The Relief Society spearheaded the work, but a few men also quilted and helped transport boxed quilts. The stake completed 15 more quilts than their commitment for a total of 140 single quilts and 75 double quilts.
On Sept. 27, Relief Society members gathered at the Boulder Stake Center at 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, to watch the Women's Broadcast via satelite from Salt Lake City. It preceeded the church's General Conference in Salt Lake City by one week.
Then, the Relief Society women watched a short video thanking them for their efforts that featured Josh Groban singing "Thankful." The video also reminded them they have much for which to be thankful. The pictures showed people living in the mountains a few hours away from Chiquimula, Guatemala, and the quilt project in progress. After the video, the group packed 10 quilts to a box for shipment to Salt Lake City.
Branch praised the participants for putting aside their own problems and obligations to work on the humanitarian quilt project. She added, "They knew the importance of the project and wanted to do their part to provide comfort around the world."