Recently, the Gazebo Valor Quilters celebrated their fourteenth anniversary with a valor quilt presentation.
Beverly Kenny, Coordinator of the program, welcomed quilters, veterans, and their friends, family, and guests. Sun City Marines started the event with the presentation of colors. Something to note is that the Gazebo Valor Quilters Guild is distinct from the National Quilts of Valor organization. The Huntley-area quilters were once affiliated with the national group, but they split off in 2014 because they wanted their quilts to be distributed locally.
Jan Meyer, one of the quilters, gave the guests an overview of the Gazebo Valor Quilters’ history.
A keepsake quilt of volunteer Joan Ausbury (recently deceased), a member of Gazebo Valor Quilters of Huntley. (Photo by Christine Such/My Sun Day News)
Meyer said, “I presented an idea to our guild. We would make a row quilt.”
Meyer shared a story about a young soldier, Jeremiah Homuth, who was injured in Afghanistan. The quilters, upon learning about his situation, decided to help by raffling off a quilt. Their efforts raised a substantial $10,000, a testament to the profound impact their quilts have on the lives of veterans.
Meyer said, “He was planning to attend Western University in Macomb, and this would help him.” Homuth is currently the head football coach at Woodstock High School.
Photos of fallen soldiers sparked an idea for a “Weekend of Valor” organized by the Guild. The group began making patriotic quilts. The “Weekend of Valor” quilt show was held at Deicke Park on July 11 and 12 in 2011.
Meyer said, “Never in our wildest dreams did we expect this to continue for fourteen years.”
On August 18, eight veterans received a valor quilt. The event also included a demonstration of the steps to complete a quilt. A label on each quilt presented had the name of the recipient veteran, the date of the presentation, where they obtained it, and who pieced and quilted it.
Award certificates were presented to quilters, but one of the past members who had coordinated the valor quilt program, Joan Ausbury, was not present. Ausbury was a prolific quilter who volunteered her time at Gazebo Valor Quilters of Huntley, where she made quilts for veterans. Ausbury passed away this year. She had housed the valor quilt inventory in her home.
Catherine Ennis is now responsible for housing all the fabric, shelving units, and equipment.
Kenny found a beautiful top that Ausbury had pieced together. She shared, “I wanted to finish that beautiful quilt for Joan’s daughter. I was able to get the quilt quilted and hand-stitched the binding. It will be a beautiful reminder for Amy of her mother and how much she did for our community.”
The Guild’s work is funded solely through donations. In addition to monetary donations, members are always looking for people to take kits and sew the tops of the quilts.
