Your View: Comforting quilts

Dear Editor

Kids are fantastic! So much of the time they are bypassed when they do Good or even GREAT deeds. I'm here to tell the reading community that the Sikeston 7th and 8th Center (formerly Middle School) has a Student Council and Advisor that "ROCKS".

Back in the summer I met their Advisor, Ms. Jamie Graff, and in our conversation we spoke of an organization of which I am a member, Marine Comfort Quilts. (www.marinecomfortquilts.us) The goal of this organization is to reach out to the next of kin of ALL fallen heroes from the war in Iraq and send them a personalized 'comfort' quilt.

Ms. Graff immediately started asking questions about our mission and she thought of presenting the idea of MCQ to the Student Council as their Fund Raiser recipient for the 2008 semester. Marine Comfort Quilts is a non profit organization, sanctioned by the Department of Defense, and we need funds to purchase fabrics, batting and so on to continue to honor our Fallen Heroes ONE QUILT at a time. To give you an idea of the amount of material needed, as of 10/27/08, Marine Comfort Quilts has completed 1 Coast Guard, 50 Air Force, 53 Navy, 995 Marine, and 2895 Army quilts. This number equates to 119,820 squares used to make these 3994 quilts! (Visit our Gallery on our website if you wish to see the completed quilts.)

This offer totally left my mind until recently when I received a phone call and was asked to drop by the 7th and 8th Grade Center to accept a check from their Student Council in the amount of $707.80. I am glad I was sitting down at the time! The most amazing thing is that the money was received from a PENNY DRIVE and lots of HEART from the 7th and 8th Grade Center/Student Council and student body. Somewhere, some families are doing a good job of teaching their children that generosity is a well rewarded personality trait. With this $707 MCQ will be able to purchase, at $5 a yard, some 140 yards of fabric! To me, this is very impressive!

Many people ask, "Why continue to make these quilts?" Much better said by a mother of two young children from Kentucky. Their father had been killed in Iraq and for many months the youngest child had not had any emotional release since his father's death. When their Comfort Quilt arrived, her youngest child started reading the condolences on the quilt and the many names and states blocks were from. He burst into tears, breaking down the wall of resistance that had been there for many months, not wanting to face the fact that dad was truly gone. His grieving had finally begun to be healing - wrapped in a Comfort Quilt. So we continue to make our quilts with the help and dedication of many across the United States as well as two special ladies who coordinate the organization, Mrs. Jan Lang and Mrs. Susan Scheri. The list of others who work tirelessly would fill a page. God knows who they are.

God Bless the 7th and 8th Grade Center Student Council Advisor, Council Members, Student Body and Administration for backing such a fantastic project.

Blessings to all.

Patricia "Carol" Messmer
Benton, Mo
SPS Retired Teacher
Vietnam Veteran's Spouse
Mother and Mother In Law 82nd Airborne Veteran's of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom