Region 4 News

News from Cynthia Chaffee:
Regional Coordinator Region 4 (Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma)
Proudly sewing for Quilts of Valor

Hats off to Jody Holt Bracken

Since July of 2010, Jody has organized a group of volunteers to support returning veterans with PTSD through the VAMC in Muskogee, OK. Her group, QOV from the Heartland, presented 43 quilts to veterans in December.

Thirty-two additional quilts are in stages of near-completion. Jody set a goal of 24 quilts to begin with. If my math is correct, it appears that Jody has almost doubled her goal to provide a fabric hug to the deserving veterans with PTSD.

The Oklahoma Veteran newspaper covered the story with pictures of many grateful recipients.

When Jody, a quilter and longarmer, contacted me about her desire to volunteer for Quilts of Valor, she mentioned that she got lots of interest when expressing a desire to organize a group in her rural area, but most said, "Let me know when you start!" So, she put out the word that she was "starting" and waited to see if people would come. Volunteers came; Jody spoke to a number of groups and more people came on board to support the warriors. Even one of the VA physicians came on board and encouraged the volunteers to write a journal. The QOV from the Heartland group are supported by spouses, a church, several quilt guilds, a newspaper, service organizations, and VA staff.

I can't wait to share Jody's next success story with the QOV community!

Hoo-ah!