The Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF) began in 2003 with a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts had a vibrant dream one night while her son Nat was deployed in Iraq wherein a distraught man was revived by the simple act of being wrapped in a quilt. She was so moved by the clear message that she went on to create the national foundation and set the high standards of her organization.

According to the QOVF website, “A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. Quilts of Valor would be awarded, not just passed out like magazines or videos. A Quilt of Valor would say unequivocally, Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor in serving our nation.”

Donna Brookings, a Gorham resident and the QOVF Maine State Coordinator, learned about the organization when she stopped by their booth at a quilt show three years ago. As the wife of a veteran and an avid quilter, the foundation’s mission spoke to both her and her husband who began actively assisting them. Their efforts resulted in an outpouring of donations and volunteers across the state which prompted the national foundation to ask them to orchestrate all Maine efforts; which they did with a smile.

“The Quilt of Valor Foundation has been a lifesaver. My husband of seven years is a vet suffering from PTSD and anxiety. Quilting and organizing other quilters to help veterans has been a real healing for him,” Brookings shared.

The White Rock Grange, located in North Gorham, was introduced to the Quilts of Valor Foundation last year when it entered the Grange Exhibition Competition at the Cumberland County Fair for the first time in decades, and where Brookings fortuitously was conducting a heartfelt presentation.

Michelene Decrow, the Grange lecturer who is responsible for programming and outreach, invited Donna to host a demonstration at the White Rock Grange which so touched members it motivated them to promptly join QOVF.

“I am a novice quilter, I love patriotic themes and most of our members are either veterans themselves or are closely related to one,” Decrow explained, “so the work this foundation was doing seemed like something our members would appreciate learning more about. And they did.”

In an effort to encourage community involvement, last fall Decrow had another idea and the White Rock Grange started its own program, a Quilt Block Challenge, requesting the public to quilt for the cause by creating single quilt blocks at home then donating them to the Grange to be assembled later.

“Every month a different block design is posted online and you can make one or more of them. There is no commitment to make each new design, you can pick and choose just the ones you like. All contributions are welcome,” she said.

After almost a year of collecting, dozens of beautiful blocks were pieced together by Grange members into four large quilts. These were then presented to veterans of the White Rock Grange Community on Veterans Day this year.