Daily Buliten Staudary October 4, 2008
Hot cars and very cool quilts
By Suzanne Sproul, Staff Writer
Article Created: 10/03/2008 06:32:00 PM PDT
Pomona Valley Corvette Association members love their cars, their community and
their country. Each year, the group of enthusiasts selects three to four
charities to help. It conducts car shows throughout the year to promote the
autos they prefer but also to raise money. This year, the group adopted a
particular philanthropy near and dear to the hearts of many of its members.
All summer the group collected fabric and batting so it could make 10 quilts to
be donated to Quilts for Valor, a national organization that gives wounded
military personnel and families who have lost loved ones a piece of home. What
started out as a rather small project turned into a larger one, as members and
their friends got behind it 100percent. For Rosemary and Danny Rodriguez, it
became a quest. The Rodriguezes' son is a lieutenant colonel in the Marines
Corps who served in Iraq.
"We heard about the project and decided to bring it to the club to see if there
was any interest. It was unanimous. The 10 quilts we wanted to complete turned
into 23 that will now be donated. Personally, this meant a lot to our family and
to several other club members who also are military families. We don't know who
will actually get these quilts, and we don't care, because however you feel
about the war, we feel those who are serving in the military are all our boys
and girls," said Rosemary Rodriguez.
Many shared that belief, including Marijo Jackson, affectionately known locally
asthe Quilt Lady of Glendora. "My very good friend Marijo donated 98percent of
the fabric for the quilts. She gave us yards and yards of fabric because she
wanted to be part of the project. Marijo brought in another quilter, Barbara
Winkler, and the ball got rolling," Rosemary said.
Club members carefully selected the fabrics they wanted. Several members wanted
to make themed quilts - one featuring bowling balls and pins for some soldier
who might like to bowl, another with cowboys, possibly for someone who hails
from the West, still another with Hawaiian prints brought home from a member's
recent vacation, and several more feminine prints to reflect the service of
women.
Danny Rodriguez cut all of the batting. Club members put the pieces together.
Paul and Sue Cope of San Dimas designed individual tags that have been sewn onto
the quilts. They read: "Stitched with love and gratitude, Pomona Valley Corvette
Association." And Chris and Detta Parsons and David and Kimberly Bratt donated
money so the pieces were professionally sewn into quilts.
"This was a wonderful summer project for us that was very meaningful. We're a
very patriotic club. This touched our hearts. We wanted to do something that was
physical and tangible and thought making quilts was something we could do. It
turned out to be a something that went above and beyond our expectations and
hopes," Rosemary said.
In addition to the Quilts for Valor, the club is donating to the local Kids Pack
project, for which members donate backpacks for students; the Claremont-based
Shoes That Fit, for which members give shoes to those who have none; and to the
national Family Fund, another military related organization that provides
financial assistance to military families in need.
If you'd like to see the finished quilts before they are shipped to Germany,
they will be showcased at the sixth annual All-American Car and Corvette Show
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 11 in downtown Upland. The popular show attracts many
car and truck lovers. Trophies will be awarded in a variety of categories, and
there will be raffles to raise more money for the Pomona Valley Corvette
Association's charity work.
"We also will have literature available at the show so if others want to get
involved with the Quilts for Valor project they can. It is so worthwhile. We
hope seeing the quilts will spark an interest in others," Rosemary said.
The 100-member Corvette group meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of each month in Claremont.
For more information about the club, the upcoming show and Quilts for Valor,
call (626) 857-9229 |
