Photo by John Collins
Soft cotton fabric and thread, along with volunteered time, are warming the hearts of young people at Youth Villages.
The Cotton Patchers Quilt Guild, which meets twice monthly at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church, has pieced together more than 1,000 handmade pillowcases for the children since this spring.
The program gives the children something bright and personalized to use daily on their beds at Youth Villages, and it also serves as lightweight luggage to help them carry their few belongings when they return to family life.
The program has flourished in honor of Bill Lawler, the father of longtime Youth Villages CEO Pat Lawler of Bartlett.
Bill, who died in May, lived in an orphanage himself from age five to 11, and he sympathized with issues that children in crisis often face.
Pat Lawler said, “It wasn’t the best experience, so he and my mom have always been sensitive to the work of Youth Villages and the kids we serve.”
Pat and his mother, Marge, decided to honor Bill’s life by benefiting the children at Youth Villages.
Marge Lawler’s quilting group seized the pillowcase idea as their charity and began stitching colorful pillowcase after pillowcase with patterns of tigers, airplanes, Elvis Presley and other themes.
Many members donate their own fabric, and some cut the fabric into kits for the group’s members to take home.
The program expanded from the first group of 201 children in foster care to include pillowcases for children in the boys’ cottage (20), the girls’ building (64), boy’s building (72), Poplar group home (20) and beyond.
Marge Lawler said she’s been in the quilting guild for about 24 years and has made some of the pillowcases herself. Working on the pillowcase program is rewarding, she said.
Linda Meeden of Bartlett, another quilter in the guild, said she’s been with the group for 16 years and has made about 15 of the pillowcases.
“I think it’s exciting,” Meeden said. “The main thing I like is the fact that we can see where they’re going and what they’ll be used for. So many of the projects we’ve done, they just go, and we don’t know what happens to them. Now we’re hearing the kids. … That just brings joy to your heart.”
She continued, “We did a tour of Youth Villages and got to see their rooms, got to see the pillowcases on their beds. That just makes it real.”
The young hearts are happy too. Pat described one small boy who loved his pillowcase so much that the staff found him snuggled inside it like a sleeping bag.
“It was the cutest thing you’ve ever seen,” Pat said.
Teen cooks and drummers from Youth Villages marked the 1,000th pillowcase milestone at the quilting guild’s Oct. 16 meeting, where the group’s total actually exceeded 1,100 pillowcases.
The youths cooked lunch for the quilters and entertained them with a fierce drumming session, even encouraging a couple of adventurous quilters to bang along on some spare drums themselves.
Several teens said the thunderous drumming helps them focus, burn off nervous energy, remain calm and feel like part of something bigger than themselves.
The youths also stood up at the guild meeting to thank the quilters, talk about what the pillowcase program meant to them and mention how the unique designs express their individuality.
Jon picked out a sports-themed pillowcase because of his love of sports.
Brendon indulged his love of two wheels by selecting a lively motorcycle pattern.
Dalton said, “It’s cool that the ladies took time to make these for us. I have a Harry Potter video game, so I picked that out.”
Youth Villages
Youth Villages is a private non-profit organization that works to help vulnerable children and families break cycles of failure and despair.
Children are placed with Youth Villages because of emotional and behavioral disorders, physical or sexual abuse, substance abuse or suicidal ideation or attempt.
Eighty percent of Youth Villages children have multiple problems, which may include developmental or learning disabilities.
Programs include intensive in-home services through age 18, transitional living services for former foster children, residential treatment campuses, intensive residential treatment centers, specialized crisis services, foster care, adoption and mentoring.
In 2014, Youth Villages is working with more than 22,000 children and families in 12 states.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, editor of the Bartlett Express. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
