Elizabeth (Beth) Andrews has volunteered with a national veteran-focused organization for five years and believes the work it does brings comfort to military personnel who feel forgotten by society.
Andrews is the Saskatchewan representative for Quilts of Valour Canada (QVC), which recognizes members of the Canadian Forces — injured and non-injured — for their service and commitment by providing them with quilts that volunteers from coast to coast have made.
“It’s just such an honour to be able to do this,” she said after a recent presentation at the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans (ANAVETS) Club 252, which included the club presenting a cheque of $500 to QVC.
Quilts of Valour began in 2006 when Edmonton quilter Lezley Zwaal learned that three soldiers had been injured in Afghanistan and one killed, Andrews explained. While the media focused on the member who died, Zwaal’s heart broke for the injured soldiers, who were recovering in hospital in the Alberta capital.
The Edmonton craftswoman gathered a few friends and they created quilts for the injured servicemen to thank them for their service. She was deeply affected after meeting the trio and learning first-hand of their injuries. That encounter made such an impression that she launched Quilts of Valour Canada.
“I’ve gotten to know her, and I know that whipping up (quilts) for her is very quick,” Andrews said, noting the program — which originated in the United States — has spread to Britain and Australia.
Since launching 18 years ago, the Canadian program has distributed 22,051 quilts to veterans across the country, while there are 300 more veterans on a list waiting to receive one, she continued. Most expectant veterans live in Eastern Canada because that’s where most military bases are.
Quilts of Valour Canada is an all-volunteer organization, including its executive, so it relies on donations of fabric and money, Andrews said. The organization is fortunate because there is a quilting company that provides quilt batting at reduced rates, while another provides “O Canada fabrics” at low cost.
“So, it really helps us out a lot, but it still takes a lot of people to put this together,” she remarked.
Andrews recalled a conversation she had at the beginning of the pandemic with a group of Saskatchewan quilters who told her they were worried about how they would produce items when they couldn’t gather.
So, they met by phone, determined the quilt they would create, ordered the pattern and fabric and then picked up the materials. One person cut out the patterns and dropped off the material at another member’s house, with that person then sewing.
Using that method helped the women overcome the challenges of the pandemic.
“And at the end of COVID, when we were actually able to get together again, they presented me with three beautiful quilts that they had done … ,” said Andrews. “So where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Each quilt has a label with the veteran’s name and an individual number that is entered into a national database.
Andrews said she had no military background when she joined the organization, although she knew her grandpa and uncle had served in the World Wars. Volunteering with Quilts of Valour Canada became a good learning experience because she met many veterans and learned their stories and what happened to them.
That’s why presenting quilts to veterans is a pleasurable experience for her.
