Contributed by Linda Kau, Quilts of Valor® Foundation
The Quilts of Valor® Foundation’s mission is to cover our service members and veterans touched by war with comforting Quilts of Valor. In 2017, alone over 350 Alaskan veterans were honored with their own personal award. Since the first group was formed in the Mat-Su Valley in 2011, over 1000 resident veterans across the state have been recognized. Quilts of Valor® are not charity, but are awards given for services rendered to defend the freedoms of our country.
The founder of QOVF tells her story of having a dream one night while she was waiting for her own son to return home from his duty in Iraq in 2003. The next morning, she remembered the dream and thought of how she could show her respect and support for our military. From that dream, nearly 180,000 Quilts of Valor have been awarded all across America. You can read her complete story on the Foundation’s website, www.QOVF.org.
Some of our local quilters, the Forget Me Not Quilters of Alaska, have focused on veterans at the Alaska Veterans and Pioneer Home in Palmer annually and at The Last Frontier Honor Flight Welcome Home ceremony twice yearly. Individual requests come through the website and are completed either at various group award ceremonies around the community or at the recipient’s workplace or home. You can nominate someone touched by war at www.QOVF.org by clicking the link to request a QOV.
Would you like to join our mission? You can help by joining us as we sew on the 4th Thursday of each month at the Wasilla Senior Center or other venues throughout the year. Donations are gladly accepted and can be made by going to www.QOVF.org and clicking the donation link. Be sure to mention the funds are to be used in Alaska. One hundred percent of your donation will be used to buy more fabric and supplies.
The Quilts of Valor® Foundation is a non-profit organization, established and operated in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contact Alaska State Coordinator Linda Kau at Linda.Kau@QOVF.org or 907-864-0770 to learn more about the organization.
