Quilting for humanitarian aid in Alabama
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
The women of the Bessemer Alabama Stake wanted to help in the relief effort following the earthquake in Haiti and other humanitarian campaigns around the world. Under the direction of stake Relief Society president Geniel Van Kampen, a call was made to the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, asking what was needed. Representatives there said they had great need for double sized quilts and would appreciate whatever could be provided.
A challenge to fill the need for quilts by the end of June was issued to stake members. Thanks to many ladies' experience making quilts for their families, following in the footsteps of their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, the need was met.
Sister Van Kampen was excited at the response and thankful for the way the sisters in her stake answered the call.
"We will have 41 beautiful quilts to send to the Humanitarian Center at the end of June," said Sister Van Kampen, who will soon serve as matron of the Birmingham Alabama Temple, with her husband, Kent Van Kampen, as temple president.
Quilts were donated by women in the Bessemer, Hoover, Northport, Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa wards, as well as the Demopolis and Fayette branches.
"Of those, the Bessemer Ward sisters have made 30," Sister Van Kampen added. "That must be some kind of record."
The Bessemer Ward is rooted in faithful families who joined the Church in the early 1900s. One of the first members of the Church in the area was Zillah Ann Mitchell Acker. A large number of the quilts were completed by her descendants. One of her descendants is Shannon Campbell, ward Relief Society president. Sister Campbell was impressed by the various means used by sisters in her ward to help out.
"We had some sisters donate all the yarn for the ties, and other sisters donated double-sized sheets and material," she said. "Some sisters went to the thrift stores and found sheet sets. There have been a few sisters who made their own at home to donate. Sometimes we had three workdays a week."
Sister Campbell emphasized how much the Relief Society wanted to include other ward members in the project.
"We tried to make this as much of a ward effort as possible including the young women and Achievement Day girls," she said. "We have truly enjoyed this project. We have had newly baptized sisters and less-active members come out to help and it is such a great way to get to visit and know the sisters better. We are the ones who are blessed to be able to participate in this project."
The quilts received special care and attention to detail as the ladies labored with compassion to make each one unique and perfect.
"The lives of those who will receive these gifts will be warmed not only by the physical benefits, but also by the tender expressions of care, compassion and humanity embodied by the exceptionally crafted quilts," said President P.K. Lanny Smartt of the Bessemer Alabama Stake.
