Collegeville's Junior Girl Scout Troop 782 Makes Quilts for Kids

The following was provided by troop leader Tara L. Flynn:

Junior Girl Scout Troop 782 from Collegeville delivered quilt kits to Quilts for Kids, Inc. (QFK) in Fairless Hills.

Founded by Linda Arye in 2000, QFK is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose volunteer quilters transform fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children in need, including those with cancer, AIDS, other life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse. Due to allergens, children often cannot bring their stuffed animals to the hospital. A brightly colored, washable all-cotton quilt to snuggle helps to make the stay less frightening.

With more than 60 chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean, QFK provides quilts to children across the United States and around the world.

Before making their quilts, the Girl Scouts, who are working toward their Bronze Awards, learned about QFK by reading written materials about the organization and by watching a YouTube video about delivering the quilts to children in need.

Then, they made “crayon quilts.” After selecting child-themed cotton fabrics, the troop found and downloaded coloring pages that coordinated with the fabrics and transferred the designs onto white cotton squares. Using crayons, the girls colored those designs in colors that complement the fabric, 12 white squares for each quilt kit. The kits will then be turned into quilts by QFK’s many volunteer quilters.

The girls were very happy to visit the QFK headquarters and meet some of the quilters.  They were given a tour of the facility, and learned about the process of turning yard goods into a quilt. They were also able to view a number of completed quilts and talk to Arye and the staff members about where their kits might end up.