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Quilts patch burn victims’ lives
For Steve Emhoff, it’s all about the looks on their faces. The feeling of acceptance. The feeling of being just like everyone else around them.
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A fire crew inspects a delivery of Kiwanis quilts, and a Pacific Northwest District patch verifies the comforters' origins.
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“Those kids come in by bus with their hoods up, hoping people don’t stare,” says Steve, immediate past governor of the Pacific Northwest District. “They unpack their bags and slowly the layers of clothing come off. They see they aren’t different. That’s the buy-in right there.”
The “buy-in” Steve speaks of is seeing the joy on the faces of the young burn victims who attend burn camps each year, with much help from the district’s “governor’s project.”
The project calls for each division to support one or more children to attend a burn camp (about US$1,500; CAD$2,500), and to donate quilts or materials to make the coverlets. The result is that each child will take home a quilt or blanket.
The governor’s project holds a special place in Steve’s heart. His firefighter son, Jason, suffered serious burns over 40 percent of his body while fighting a fire in Washington in 2001. Jason often attends events with his father to tell his story.
The project has been a huge success. So far, the district has raised more than US$70,000, and Steve estimates he’ll r4eceive at least 2,k000 blankets to present to the two camps—one in British Columbia, and one in Washington.
“We’re way beyond expectation,” Steve says.
The Kiwanis Club of Oliver in British Columbia is just one of the many clubs making a dent in the number of quilts needed for the project. The target goal, says club member Chris McKay, who also is president of the Double O Quilters, was 25 quilts. She had no idea how overwhelming the response would be from the club and community.
“The final count to date, counting five that are being worked on, is 58,” Chris says. “I am now hoping to reach 60. That’s not bad, considering there were only 72 campers at the BC Burn Camp last year! It has been a fantastic experience.” |
