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Community Outreach

We are proud of our community outreach programs. Volunteers coordinate these projects and occasionally hold quilting bees and/or assemble kits for work at home.

For information about these special ongoing projects click on the round mini quilts by their names. If you would like to contact any of the organizers, you will find their contact information in our Members' list or email the guild at  waterloocountyqg@gmail.com.

Your message will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

To view a PDF slide presentation overview of our outreach projects go to the link below. This presentation was prepared in 2017.

Smile Quilts, PAL Quilts, Memory Quilts and Touch Quilts have been the four WCQG sanctioned outreach projects for many years. The guild is dedicated to continuing these outreach efforts.

Smile Quilts

Smile Quilts are made for children facing serious illness.

Coordinator: Peggy Herlick & Helene Doerfler

 
PAL Quilts

PAL quilts are provided to bring comfort to individuals in palliative care at one of the local hospices, including Innisfree & Lisaard and Hospice Waterloo Region.
Coordinators: Megan Stauch and Tamara Gilhuly.

Memory Quilts

Memory Quilts are small quilts donated to Grand River Hospital's Bereavement Program. They are given to parents who have lost an infant at birth or due to some other catastrophe. The quilts provide something tangible for parents who are going home with empty arms.

Coordinator: Pamela Clarkson.

Touch Quilts

The Touch Quilt Program run by the Alzheimer Society of K-W provides, for persons with later-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, an item of comfort to hold and touch with their hands.

Coordinator: Cathy Jurchuk.

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Heart Pillows

Heart pillows are made for cardiac care patients following open heart surgery at St. Mary’s General Hospital. The patients hold them against their chest where the incision was made in order to support that area when they had to sneeze,  cough, laugh or they attempted to stand up or get out of bed. This seems to lessen the stress on the incision.
Coordinators: Joan Holland, Cathy Jurchuk & Inge Ford.

The guild supports additional outreach efforts, some of them on-going and others when the need arises. Below are illustrations of some of them.

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Teddy Bear Quilts

This outreach program started in 2019. Small quilts are wrapped around a stuffy and secured with a ribbon. They are given to the Knights of Columbus for distribution, primarily at Christmas time.

Coordinator: Jean McFarlane

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Quilts of Valour Canada

Quilts of Valour Canada produces quilts which are presented to Canadian Armed Forces members (women and men) who are coping with injuries both visible and  invisible.  This organization works across Canada to show appreciation to our Canadian military.

Coordinator: Deby Wettges

Days for Girls

Days for Girls is dedicated to creating a more free, dignified, and educated world, through providing lasting access to feminine hygiene solutions and health education.

Coordinators:  Jan Hember & Fabia Joyce 

From time to time guild members have made place-mats for our local Meals on Wheels. Often those place-mats were reversible, celebrating a special holiday or two. Additional causes in which members of the guild often participate are Project Linus and Victoria Quilts

The Caring Connection group meets monthly to sew quilts for charity. Donated fabrics are used to complete the quilts, which may go to MCC Relief Sale, PAL, as well as other local venues. Contact Judy Siegner for more information

The guild and its members are always open to supporting charitable organizations.

To reach us please go to our Contact Us page.

In March 2020 a number of organizations approached us for help, initially with masks.

As Community Outreach has always been a significant part of the Waterloo County Quilt Guild, the guild  surpassed all expectations in how it has reached out to support reached out to support organizations, agencies and individuals in our community.

Representing the WCQG, Maria Wirth presented 50 masks to workers at the Bridgeport & Weber Sobeys.

The clip above was on CTV News Kitchener at 5 (Monday, June 22, 2020).

In spite of the amount of Covid 19 outreach the membership continues their  on-going outreach. Recently there was a presentation of PAL quilt that was covered by the Observer

A Few Special Projects

Click on the quilt for the story.

50th Anniversary Quilt  2016

Coordinated by Emily Hunsberger

Sunnyside End of Life Quilt, 2012

The Postcard Quilt  2009

Coordinated by Renske Helmuth

A Bird's Eye View  2006
Coordinated by Renske Helmuth

CQA/ACC Slab Quilt  Project
Coordinated by Marg Sandiford

Kaleidoscope of Nations  2003
Coordinated by Renske Helmuth

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Arthritis Society Blue Bird Quilt 2017
Coordinated by Kathy Bissett

I'm Possible - Victim's Services Project
Coordinated by Robin Bogaert

Outreach Tally

Here is a list of some of the guild’s community outreach as of the end of August 2023.

- PAL Quilts - 92 (and counting)

- Smile Quilts - 271 (and counting!)

- Memory Quilts - 25

- Touch Quilts - 15

- oneROOF Quilts 34 -

- QOVC - 17

Also, table runners continue - to be made for hospice

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