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The Community Services committee serves two roles:

• A source of information concerning Guild activities
• A liaison to the general public

The committee organizes and provides demonstrations of various phases of quilting to church groups, schools or other public organizations.

Would you like to share your love of quilting with the public through demonstrations or talks? Contact the Vice President - Community Services and let them know! There are often local events where volunteers are needed.

Besides volunteering at events, there are many volunteer activities you can participate in from the privacy of your own home. Click on each project listed below for a description.

• Stocking Project
• Covers for Kids
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • Vogel Alcove
  • Dallas Children's Advocacy Center
• Community Service Wish List

You may also wish to check our "Volunteer Opportunities" list to see if there is something perfect for your talents and time availability.

Stocking Project

This very popular project is an opportunity for all of our members to participate in the joy of Christmas giving.  Members use an easy-to-make pattern and christmas fabric to make the stockings.  They are then filled with candy, toys and books.   In mid-December, the stockings are distributed to underprivileged children in grades Pre-K through third grade of the DISD.  Often, they are the only gifts these children will receive at Christmas.

For more details, email us, and request that your question be forwarded to the current Stocking Project chairman.

Covers for Kids

One of the most visible and most appreciated community service projects of The Quilter’s Guild of Dallas is “Covers For Kids.” This is a general “umbrella” that oversees three different community outreach projects of the Guild. These projects seek to provide children with a warm quilt of their very own. What better way to let a child know they are loved?

The guild accepts quilts in all sizes, from crib/nap quilt size up to bed size. (some of the youth served may be in their late teens.) This is a good way to use those leftover blocks from previous quilt projects or try new techniques. Occasionally a workshop will be scheduled to get together and make Covers For Kids.

While the majority of the quilts made for "Covers for Kids" find a home with a child or teenager, a few find their way onto the walls of our beneficiaries to help make the surroundings "homier" or less institutional. In fact, the quilts on display had such an impact on the surroundings, the Child Abuse prevention unit of the FBI requested one for their office walls in Washington D.C.!

Following is a brief explanation of each project:

Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald House serves as a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children who are hospitalized or receiving treatment in Dallas area hospitals. Many of these children are having transplants of some kind which means  their families stay in the house for an extended period of time. Upon entering the house, the children are allowed to go to a special closet and pick out a quilt for themselves. They go through them all (sometimes with their entire family), looking for just the right one for them. They get to KEEP this quilt as a remembrance of being at the house.

Many of the children return to the house (sometimes years later) , and bring their quilt with them. For many, they have outgrown the size and theme of the quilt, but it serves as such security and comfort that they don't mind that it is small or worn.

Vogel Alcove

This is  day-care center for children of homeless families. While parents are either getting an education, getting a job, or getting started at a new job, their children are taken care of for them at the Vogel Alcove. It is run like any other children's day-care center with regular hours and classrooms. The only difference is that the children have no home to go to in the evenings. Most of the children are housed in one of our local shelters with their parents.

The ages of the children in the center are from birth to 6 years old (when they would be going to elementary school). The center gives this care for free to parents  who qualify for assistance. Most of these children come in the door with nothing. They are given a quilt on their first day in the center, and sleep with it every day at nap time. When they go on to another day-care or school, which means they will no longer be coming to the Alcove, they are GIVEN the quilt to take with them. This becomes a great memory maker for them, and in most cases it is the only thing they can call their OWN.

Dallas Children's Advocacy Center

This center is designed to provide each child with a friendly, non-threatening environment that offers support and protection in one central location. Housed in their offices are the Dallas Police Department and Dallas County Social Services, as well as investigators and therapists to aid the children. Child abuse is a growing community problem and the DCAC's goal is to minimize each victim's trauma through a multi-disciplinary approach.

The young victims of sexual and physical abuse can tell their painful stories just once and then the child can be spared of having to repeat their "pain" again. The professional expertise of the staff at the center brings a more complete understanding of individual issues for each abused child. Many times these children have been brought in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They are given a backpack with toiletries and a change of clothing as many are not returned to their homes and are ultimately put in foster care. Some of the children also receive a quilt as provided by our project.

Community Service Wish List