Club makes quilts for preemies

Rongi Yost, Correspondent | Last updated Mar 17, 2009 12:0pm0

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Sparrow Club members made quilts for preemies. photo provided

After a full day of sewing last month, Sisters Sparrow Club members completed 22 quilts, which will soon be delivered to the Ronald McDonald House in Bend.

Last fall the Sisters High School Sparrow Club decided that for one of their community service projects they would set aside a day, Saturday, February 28, to make quilts for the Ronald McDonald House. The Sparrow Club helps families in medical crisis. The Ronald McDonald House provides lodging for family members who have a loved one undergoing care at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

Fabric donations started coming to the high school last fall when an announcement went out to the community via the Sisters High School Daily Announcements and the Key Communicator letting the community know about the Sparrow Club project.

Parent volunteers Sally Blust and Barb Hjelmstad, along with Kristy and Emily Rawls, spent over 35 hours in preparation for the big day. These four volunteers cut over 100 yards of fabric into eight-by-eight squares and then coordinated 84 pieces of fabric which was needed for each quilt. They also set up the sewing machines and made sure they were threaded and running smoothly.

Twenty-seven volunteers consisting of Sparrow Club members, teachers and parents took time from their busy schedules and arrived at the high school ready for a full day of quilting.

Piles of colorful fabric were transformed into 22 quilts by the end of the day. The quilts will help the Ronald McDonald House reach one of their goals, which is to provide premature babies with a quilt when they are released from the hospital.

Sparrow Club member Chelsey Davidson said, "It was a good thing to do, and it was a fun day working with a group of other teens my age. It's a great cause and it felt good to be able to make a quilt that will be given to a tiny little baby."

Teacher volunteer Mary Flande said, "It was just a feel-good day. What we got accomplished went to a great cause. The loving gift of these quilts will be like an extra hug to these preemie babies."