Smoke signals., August 15, 2008, Page 3, Image 3

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AUGUST 15, 200S
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Spirit Mountain Community Fund donates to grassroots group
Editor's note: This is the eighth in a monthly series of stories in
2008 by Smoke Signals that showcase the real-life effects of Spirit
Mountain Community Fund donations. Since its inception in 1997,
the Community Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, has donated more than $40 million to groups
in 11 western Oregon counties. These stories focus on the good work
those generous Tribal dollars do within nearby communities and
the effect they have on people and programs.
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
As many as 35 to 40 quilt makers
in Corvallis dedicate most of every
Wednesday to the nonprofit Quilts
from Caring Hands, a group that
makes quilts for at-risk children in
their local area - Willamette Valley
in western Oregon.
They make crib-sized quilts and
twin-sized quilts. They make what
they call "tactile" quilts for vision
impaired children. The tactile
quilts offer a variety of different
fabrics from corduroy to fleece to
satin and lace and bright colors
that are easier to distinguish for
the almost blind.
Each square feels different. The
differences encourage children to
investigate further. They provide
children with a chance to sensitize
their hands and fingers, and that
later helps with learning Braille.
"Touch is going to be a sense
they're going to use," said June
Nielsen, a Corvallis mother and
homemaker who started the group
in 1990 with four volunteers and a
lot of high hopes.
"It was totally on faith," Nielsen
said. "I had no money, just an idea.
The basic philosophy is to make
as many quilts as we can with the
supplies and the willing hands that
come to us."
And not all of the volunteers had
experience with quilts when they
started.
"I thought it was something I'd
enjoy doing," said Dottie Miller, who
has been with the group almost from
the beginning. "I took pieces of fabric
home and took a year to make (my
first) quilt and bring it back."
Likewise for Pat Thomson, for
merly a research assistant at Or
egon State University.
"I wasn't a quilter," Thomson
said, but the work gave her "a lot
of satisfaction."
"It's not a job," she said. "It's just
a pleasure."
The cause is irresistible, the
quilters say, and they add that the
community of quilters is a great
added benefit.
"I like the idea of making quilts
for children at risk," said Helen
Quale, who has been with the group
almost since the beginning. Long
before joining the group, she was
making quilts for her children and
grandchildren.
"It's the companionship and doing
something worthwhile for kids,"
said Miller.
"If you make one child happy,"
said Betty Hill, "it's all worth it. And
the people here are wonderful."
The group raises money through
donations and grants for what has
become a $10,000 annual budget.
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
this year made its first contribution
$4,535 to the group.
Though this is a relatively small
donation for the Community Fund,
Survey performed before
proposal was developed
TRANSIT GRANT
continued from front page
proposal now includes repriori
ti.ing Federal Transit Adminis
tration funds already awarded
the Tribe Inst year.
A survey of Spirit Mountain
Casino employees was per
formed this summer before the
proposal was developed. The
proposed service plan will have
nine round trips a day six days
a week to Salem. From Salem,
transit riders can take existing
bus service routes to Dallas.
In 2007, the Tribe worked
with the Yamhill County Tran
sit Area to extend its McMin
nville to Willamina bus service
out to Grand Hondo. That ser
vice (seven round trips a day,
Monday through Friday) is be
ing subsidized by State Special
Transportation Fund monies
and FTA Tribal Transit funds.
Ridership has continued to
grow each month since the ser
vice was created in December.
The proposed Salem service will
not affect funding for this Wil
lamina route, which is provided
by Yamhill Community Action
Partnership through Yamhill
County Transit Area.
The current YCTA West Valley
route, as well as the proposed Sa
lem commuter route, can serve
elderly and disabled riders with
available wheelchair lifts.
"This is a tremendous oppor
tunity as a partnership," said
Salem-Keizer Transit Trans
portation Development Director
Stephen Dickey at the July 30
Tribal Council meeting. "It's an
historic moment of government-to-government
relationship."
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Quilts from Caring Hands volunteer June Nielsen works on tying a quilt,
along with other members of the group including Sue Ellis, left, on
Wednesday, Aug. 6, in Corvallis. The group makes quilts and donates them
to organizations that help at-risk children. Spirit Mountain Community Fund
contributed $4,535 to the group this year.
Community Fund Administrative
Assistant Kluane Baer said, 'These
little, tiny grassroots organizations
deserve some recognition.
"It takes a lot of time and dedi
cation to complete a quilt, but to
turn around and give that labor to
a child that doesn't have anything,
I think that's awesome."
With Oregon State University
and a community college nearby,
many volunteer quilters have back
grounds in higher education, and
most participate in other volunteer
projects in their retirement days.
For Jan Lowther, formerly with
Linn-Benton Community College
in the Graphic Arts Department,
Quilts from Caring Hands is one
of her many volunteer efforts.
She also traveled to El Salvador
with Stove Team International, a
group providing safe indoor cook
ing stoves.
Even within the group, the vol
unteers fill many functions. Board
members treasurer, purchaser
and secretary - put in more time
than their Wednesday quilting ef
forts, Nielsen said.
"And nearly every woman in the
group does something at home that
contributes to our mission, such
as sew on bindings, piece a quilt
top, launder donated fabric, cut up
scraps," Nielsen said.
There's a quality control group
that checks finished quilts for
needles or safety pins left in the
fabric, and loose knots.
The camaraderie among the
group is noteworthy even in the
jokes. "When we tie our knots," said
Quale, "we wonder if the knot police
would find it lacking."
Although no men currently are
quilting, the Web page comes cour
tesy of Jeff Jimmerson, a local Web
specialist. John Smith, husband of
volunteer Vickie Smith, goes over
the group's financial books as his
contribution. And Terry Tallis,
whose wife, Jan, also volunteers
with the group, helped with the
group's brochure.
Thirty-five to 45 women show
up each week to participate in the
quilting, and more than 60 are cur
rently members.
Recipients of the quilts are non
profits dealing with many aspects
of childhood difficulty. Quilts from
Caring Hands currently donates
to 14 agencies, including the Cen
ter Against Rape and Domestic
Violence, Parent Enhancement
Program, Vina Moses, a Corvallis
nonprofit helping low-income fami
lies, and the Trillium Children's
Farm Home.
With five different cottages for
children needing orphan-type ser
vices, the quilts have many uses,
said Cheri Galvin, Regional De
velopment director of Trillium
Children's Farm House.
"If a child comes here with noth
ing, we provide a quilt at the start.
Others get to choose one as they
leave to go to their home communi
ties," Galvin said. "One boy picked
out one with rainbows because, he
said, his sister loved rainbows."
For a girl who was leaving and
going to miss the nonprofit's thera
peutic horse program, she chose a
quilt that had horses on it.
"We get fabrics from attics," said
Quale. "We got a package from an
Army wife in Italy. We also got a
package from a girl in Texas with
a note that said, Tell Helen Quale
hello.' It turned out she went to
school with my daughter."
"I've been addicted to fabric and
quilting since 1976 when we were
making quilts for the bicentennial,"
said newcomer Virginia Gregory,
who moved to Corvallis six months
ago from Illinois. "People kept tell
ing me about the group."
Carolyn Brumley has been quilt
ing for the group since 2001. She
had just retired from the Chemistry
Department at Oregon State when
one friend brought her to a Wednes
day meeting, and another friend
sent her n bunch of fabric.
Some things are just destined to
be.B