Quilts of Valor

ASHEBORO — Those who return home from military service often bring serious issues with them. Quilts of Valor are given to them to let them know someone cares.

On Jan. 18, the Asheboro chapter of Quilts of Valor gave quilts to 10 veterans at the Asheboro Senior Center, where the quilts are fashioned. That makes 114 quilts donated to veterans since the local group started in May 2023.

“When these guys come back, they have lots of issues,” said Jodi Haskell, the local leader. “We make quilts for them as a reward to help them see they’re appreciated and to help their healing.

“We’re hoping this will open a door for them to share those terrible times and let them know that by serving they allowed us to be at home safely enjoying our families.”

The Quilts of Valor Foundation was the result of a dream by Catherine Roberts, whose son was deployed in Iraq. In her dream, she “saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter.

“Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and wellbeing. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream: Quilts = Healing.”

Roberts founded Quilts of Valor in 2003 and awarded the first quilt in November of that year to a soldier who lost his leg in Iraq. To date, the Foundation has given away 379,000 quilts to veterans all across America.

The Asheboro group meets every Thursday on the second floor of the Asheboro Senior Center, with 10 women actively working on quilts. There are 22 members overall, according to Haskell.

Of the 10 veterans receiving quilts on Jan. 18, eight were present, including one woman. The other two will be presented their quilts at their homes.

“They look like they’re OK,” Haskell said of the veterans, “but (many of them) were damaged by war. We can show them what they accomplished with a tangible sign that someone cares for them.”

Haskell wants the public to know that Quilts of Valor is available and that anyone honorably discharged from military service is eligible. She is also looking for more volunteers and donations. Anyone interested in helping can call her at 336-628-2057 or email her at joyfullady3js@aol.com..

More information is available at www.QOVF.org.  

“I think it’s great,” said Ken Winters, one of the Jan. 18 quilt recipients. “It’s a great service to give to veterans. Their labor and material is a very nice tribute to the veterans of America. I thank those who do this.”

The honorees, besides Winters, were Jerry Steele, Lauren Turley, William Riggs Sr., James Myers, Tim Gulledge, James Owens (absent), John Shaw (absent), Michael Speedling and Donald Small.