Veterans living at The Neighborhood at Tellico Village plan to stay warm this winter with their newly received Quilts of Valor.
The Village Quilters awarded nine Quilts of Valor recently at The Neighborhood in “special honor to celebrate their Veterans Day,” Arliss Barber, Quilts of Valor chairwoman, said.
Veteran recipients receiving quilts included Hope Davis, U.S. Navy; Robert Blaine, Navy; Claude Cooper, Navy; Boyd Crabtree, U.S. Army; Fred Gugel, Army; Felix A. Hester, Navy and U.S. Air Force; Kenneth Rubish, Navy; Jack Salmon, Navy; and Thomas Sheets, Navy.
“It’s something I never expected,” Hester said. “I really never
give it consideration, but I’m honored.”
Barber said her stint with the Valor group began in 2009 when the Village Quilters took a guild challenge to create a Quilt of Valor. Since then, the group has produced 85 quilts. After the first Quilt of Valor experiment, the group officially formed in June 2009 within the guild and now meets monthly to work on different pieces for area veterans.
Barber said the time spent generating quilts varies depending on if the quilts are done by one individual or the entire group. Quilts can take up to several months to complete.
Quilts of Valor are given one time as a civilian award for each active duty service member and veteran.
Barber said she finds fashioning Quilts of Valor imperative to the community because quilts are a tangible way to give thanks because sometimes verbal appreciation does not seem like enough. The Guild plans to continue to make Quilts of Valor as a special thank-you to veterans and service members.
