Marti Wolfgang, left, discusses the Stitchers for a Cause group she is organizing at Mountain Arts Community Center to make quilts for pediatric cancer patients and their siblings with Patricia Kasselbaum, clinic director at the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Hatch’s House of Hope. The group meets Mondays at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Photo by Emily CrismanWith one out of 133 children under age 20 diagnosed with pediatric cancer each year, chances are great that many in the community will experience its affects.
“These are the children in our schools, the children in our churches, the children in our community – these are our children,” said Patricia Kasselbaum, clinic director at the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Hatch’s House of Hope, a place for children diagnosed with pediatric cancer and their families to receive emotional, social, developmental and educational support and services.
Erlanger hospital is home to the first Hatch’s, with a second opening in Birmingham this year, said Kasselbaum.
Every child diagnosed as well as every sibling is encouraged to choose their own “Hope Quilt” they can take wherever they go, she said.
“When a child is diagnosed with cancer, every member of the family is adversely affected,” said Kasselbaum. “We realize that siblings are the forgotten victims.”
Symbolizing comfort and warmth, the quilts are donated to Hatch’s by Stitchers for a Cause, individuals who purchase fabric and batting as well as volunteer their time to stitch the quilts.
Regular group sewing sessions keep quilters motivated to complete their projects in addition to providing a social outlet. A new group is forming at Mountain Arts Community Center to meet Mondays at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Organizer Marti Wolfgang, assistant to the director at MACC and a former elementary school teacher, said she has witnessed the affects of pediatric cancer on a family firsthand while tutoring a student whose sibling was diagnosed.
She said she discovered Hatch’s while searching for a job several months ago and was looking for a way to support its mission, so she began attending the monthly Stitchers for a Cause sessions at Lavender Lime Quilting in Brainerd.
“It’s a nice thing you can do for families faced with this dilemma,” said Wolfgang. “I thought the MACC would be the perfect place to do the same kind of thing for people who live on the mountain.”
With a sewing room already set up for the MACC’s new basic sewing class, the timing seemed right to start up a Stitchers group, said Wolfgang. While it is recommended participants bring their own machine, she said several extras will be available for use at the MACC.
Participants need only basic sewing skills such as how to thread a needle and straight stitch, said Wolfgang. All fabric and batting for the quilts are provided by the stitchers, she said.
Since Hatch’s serves children three months old to age 23, Kasselbaum requests that quilters choose fabrics appropriate not only for young children but teenagers as well. “Quillows,” or quilts which can be converted into a pillow when rolled up, are also popular with older clients, she said.
Quilters attach a label with a short message for the child who chooses their quilt, who will receive a photo of the quilter once they have made their selection, said Kasselbaum. A picture is also taken of the child with their new quilt to send to the stitcher, she said.
Those without the time or sewing skills to participate in the quilting group can still contribute to the cause by donating rolls of batting or fabric, which typically costs around $40 per quillow and $75-100 per quilt, or give funds to help quilters purchase these items, said Wolfgang.
MACC is at 809 Kentucky Avenue and can be reached at 886-1959.