St. Paul's quilt dedication set for Sunday
One hundred child-sized quilts are hung over the pews at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Colon. During the Sunday church service at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, Pastor Kurt Kuhlmann will dedicate these small tokens of comfort and love for use by the Bronson Child Advocacy Clinic and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. Each quilt will be given to a child under the care of these two organizations.
About three months ago, the Piecemakers Quilting group of St. Paul's learned of the need for children's quilts to be used to aid in helping children brought into the legal system due to sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect. The 15 ladies of the quilt group already make over 200 large quilts for Lutheran World Relief, Orphan Grain Train and other local needs, but knew they could never refuse the babies, toddlers and teen-agers faced with the horror imposed on them. Within a week of hearing of the need, two Sturgis women donated fabric from their personal collections which proved ideal for the colorful quilt tops. A Bronson woman brought in additional fabric in cheery prints. Yet another Sturgis family shared their late mother's accumulated children's yardage perfect for backing the pieced tops. To achieve the soft warmth these special quilts would need, batting for the interior was provided using a Thrivent Financial grant. Meeting each Tuesday morning at the church, part of each quilting session was devoted to these special quilts.
Many of this initial group of 100 quilts are clearly targeted for very young children. At first, the Piecemakers questioned whether there would be a need for such baby-appropriate themed comforters. Krisanne, a nurse at SANE, assured the group, "We see children from birth through age 25. No child is too young to be a target of those who would abuse them. Abuse is not limited to any one economic or social group. In our nine-county service area we see over 250 children a year. Statistics show that fewer than 50% of all cases get reported. Children are extremely reluctant to endure the shame of telling what has happened to them. Adults are even more reluctant to admit that people they know, whether family members or trusted friends, could possibly be involved in sexually abusing their children. Just because we live in small towns or rural areas does not mean little children are protected from this abuse. Too often, a situation has been going on for years, or is passed from an older child to her younger sister or brother, before a victim finds a way to speak up. And then, it takes a courageous adult to listen and believe the child's word."
The quilts are only one component of the process. Dr. Sarah Brown, a board-certified child abuse pediatrician, heads up the Bronson Child Advocacy Clinic. She is responsible for taking referrals from law-enforcement, CPS or the courts and evaluating the child for evidence of abuse. Together with the SANE program which attempts to evaluate each child within five days of a report, the child and necessary family/foster care adults are given medical and social care at no charge. The medical care may require physical exams or other situations which can be frightening, or at the least uncomfortable, for a child. By the small act of choosing a quilt to keep with them throughout the exams, questionings, and possible disruptions of living situations, a child has a moment of feeling in control of their life, as well as having some soft, warm tangible symbol that they are loved and valued. Krisanne notes that often the reporting parent or caregiver is just as affected by the quilt as the child as they know the community of work put into making the quilts and realize that their child is not facing the medical-legal system alone.
All are welcome to the dedication service at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 484 S. Burr Oak Rd, Colon.
SANE has a crisis-line which is answered at all hours every day: 1- 888-383-2192. The public can use this number to access care, report situations which may require intervention, or to get help for themselves or children in their care.
"The quilt project is far from over. Now that the baby quilts are done, the Piecemakers are moving to the next age group. Young girls and boys in the elementary ages will want quilts with animals, trucks, brighter colors and "big kid" themes. We will be fitting these into our weekly sewing, as we also finish our regular mission quilts which ship in October. We welcome anyone who would like to join us in piecing tops or tying the comforter style quilts to join us Tuesday mornings from 9-12." says Jeanne Lee, one of the Piecemaker quilters.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Community
