Some children will be a little warmer this winter thanks to local quilters.
A total of 40 quilts were donated to the Tomorrow’s Children residential treatment center outside of Waupaca on Nov. 19.
The quilts were created by members of Iola’s Norske Needlers quilting guild.
The guild was inspired by a national effort, the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, which has already resulted in the donation of more than half a million pillowcases to organizations in need.
After donating a supply of handmade pillowcases to the treatment center last winter, guild members learned of the local facility’s other needs. They decided to meet part of that need with quilts.
The Norske Needlers set out to supply one quilt for every child at Tomorrow’s Children.
“We chose this for our charity project, and we had fun doing it,” said Sandy Marcy, who, with Jane Marx, headed up the project for the Needlers.
The group enjoyed the project so much, in fact, that eight more quilts were made than were needed to cover the current number of residents housed at the center.
Rachel Roloff, a case manager for Tomorrow’s Children, said the organization was grateful for the efforts of the quilters, and she was looking forward to seeing all the different quilts.
Tomorrow’s Children houses and treats “children who have been unsuccessful in the community setting because of behavioral issues that have developed due to traumatic histories,” Roloff said.
The center is licensed to care for children ages 5-18, with a variety of diagnoses, ranging from extreme abuse or neglect to those with mental and/or emotional impairments.
Donations are always welcome, especially of clothes for boys age 8-13. “They’re pretty tough on clothing,” Roloff said.
Founded in 1973, Tomorrow’s Children is celebrating its 40th year serving Waupaca and neighboring counties.
For more information, visit the facility’s website at www.tomorrowschildrenwi.org, or call its administrative office at 715-258-1440.
The Norske Needlers quilting group meets at the Iola Community Center at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month and is open to new members.
For more information, visit their Facebook page, or call Meredith Miller at 715-467-2567.