Community Service
NeedleChasers provides many opportunities for members to be involved in giving back to the community through quilting. Generous giving of our time, talents and skills to local and not-for-profit organizations has always been a hallmark of NeedleChasers. We have:
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| NeedleChasers service projects including Wee Bees, our Annual Quilt-A-Thon, Preemie Quilts and one-time events are described below. If you'd like to offer your help or know of other community organizations that could use our assistance, please contact our Guild President. | |
Wee Bees
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Annual Quilt-A-Thon
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Quiltathon 2012 NeedleChasers at work on the 2012 Quiltathon project. To see many of the finished quilt tops, visit our Member Gallery. |
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14 Beautiful Lap Quilts from our 2011 Quilt-A-Thon are delivered to Stepping Stones . The 1st quilt for presentation to a family moving in to their own home is selected by Sandi, a Stepping Stones staff member. |
Marina Baudoin presents CNMC Hemodialysis Unit with the 2010 Quilt-A-Thon Quilts |
Preemie Blankets
An ongoing project benefiting the Children's National Medical Center
- Approximately 100 preemie quilts are donated each year
- Fast, easy service projects for members who are long on giving but short on time.
- Kits are available at meetings for members to take home to complete.
- If you would like to make some Preemie Blankets, click here to download instructions .
One Time Projects
In addition, in recent years NeedleChasers have designed and created original quilts:
- To support fund-raising for the House of Ruth and the National Foster Parent Association.
- Worked with Children's International Art Outreach to help refugee children and those displaced by Hurricane Katrina capture their feelings about home.
- Actively supported QuiltPink, a project that raises money for the Susan G. Koman for the Cure Foundation
Other Charitable Organizations Seeking Quilt Donations
From time to time we receive information from our fellow NeedleChasers regarding charitable organizations that they support or are aware of who would like to receive donations of quilts. These are not NeedleChaser sponsored activities but rather ones in which our members engage and would like to share with their fellow quilters. Some groups use donated quilts for patients/clients, others to sell or raffle them for fund raising activities. The organizations may have specific requirements as to size, fabrics or construction methods. We recommend contacting the organization listed before embarking on your quilting project. If you know of any other Washington Metropolitan area not-for-profit organization that can use donated quilts please contact Debbie Lamb-Mechanick with the details for inclusion in this portion of the Website.
- Suburban Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine Auxiliary (8600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD) is seeking both quilted and knitted items for their "Yarns for Warmth" program that is serving the chemotherapy unit of the hospital. Anyone who wishes to have their blanket designated only for terminally ill or seriously ill patients can do so by contacting the Auxiliary and letting them know. They need blankets that are 40" wide and 50-55" long. These lap quilts become the property of the patient. The hospital would also appreciate smaller (40" square) quilts for their littlest patients in their Emergency Pediatrics Unit and the Knots for Shots program that serves needy families in the county. For further information or to make quilted or knitted donation please contact Phyllis Donoghue, President Suburban Hospital Auxiliary. (suggested by Nancy Baltz)