ROCK HILL, S.C. — A group that has awarded hundreds of quilts to veterans in the Rock Hill, South Carolina area has run into a stumbling block -- funding.
So far in 2021, more than 21,918 quilts were awarded to veterans nationally by Quilts of Valor. The Old Glory Quilters, the organization's chapter in Rock Hill, South Carolina, has awarded 3,000 quilts to veterans since the group started a decade ago.
In an effort to raise money for material costs to make the quilts, the Old Glory Quilters are holding a fundraiser and open house at a residence in Rock Hill all weekend.
"The Quilts of Valor, that's something special," Harvey Mayhill, who founded the Old Glory Quilters, the Rock Hill chapter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, said. "Some veterans have even taken them to the grave with them."
The fundraiser will be held at 2873 Forest Hills Circle in Rock Hill on Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Mayhill is organizing the fundraiser to help with material costs.
Now Mayhill and his team at the Old Glory Quilters are raising money for materials to make more quilts this holiday season. Right now, they have close to 200 veterans nominated for a quilt who have yet to receive one.
Making the quilts is a true labor of love.
It takes up to 100 hours and $350 to make a single quilt – and all that work is done by volunteers. But you can't put a price tag for the meaning of the quilts, and how much they touch the veterans who receive them.
“Yes, it is a lot of money and it’s a lot of work – but it’s a lot of reward," Mayhill said. "I have relieved a lot of veterans from PTSD. In this area we know for sure we stopped three suicides.”
At the beginning of the pandemic, the Old Glory Quilters used their sewing machines to support veterans in a new way -- by making masks that were then handed out to veterans free of charge. Now it needs more funds to purchase materials.
The group is always looking for donations. Donated funds are used to purchase fabric and thread. Information on how to donate is posted on the group's Facebook page. Additionally, you can donate through the Quilts of Valor website, by designating that the money is for Group #13471. Mayhill says 100% of the funds that the chapter receives are used for fabric and other materials.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.
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