God Bless America Quilts Support Operation Kid Comfort

In celebration of Veteran's Day and to honor the many military families of the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area, The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) and the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, will host part of the God Bless America Quilt Tour from November 7 -14, 2009. The event will be held in conjunction with the Veteran's Day Parade on November 7^th at the offices of the Downtown Alliance, and the ASYMCA office on Fort Bragg. A total of thirty patriotic quilts from across the USA will be displayed between the two venues.

Available at the exhibits, will be the book Thanking Our Troops: God Bless America Touring Quilts, that include a gallery of patriotic quilts, essays on the many quilt programs that support our military, and instructions to make some of the quilts included in the book. All proceeds will support Operation Kid Comfort, the ASYMCA program that provides free photo-transfer quilts to America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service members. The book can also be ordered through the ASYMCA website at: http://braggasymca.org/shop/index.htm.

During the Veteran's Day festivities on November 7^th, ASYMCA volunteers will be manning the display at the Downtown Alliance from 10 am until 2 pm, demonstrating how the Operation Kid Comfort quilts are made.

With 45 children from Fort Bragg currently waiting for quilts, and more orders arriving daily as deployments increase, Operation Kid Comfort is in need of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, we will have kits with all the necessary components ready to sew at the event, or you may sign up for our free workshops.

Additionally, we will have information on how a child you know can receive a FREE quilt or pillow from Operation Kid Comfort. Quilts are provided to children five and under; pillows are provided to children 6 – 12 years.

As deployments increase, so does demand for the many services that the ASYMCA provides. As you visit the quilts of the the God Bless America Quilt Tour, please take a few moments to learn more about our services and how you can participate. We look forward to seeing you.

Hours of Operation:

Downtown Alliance

222 Hay St, Fayetteville, NC

910-222-3382

www.fayettevillealliance.com

Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm

November 7, 2009/Veteran's Day Parade: 10 am – 2 pm

ASYMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB

Bldg. 2-2411 Jackson St.​

Ft. Bragg, NC

910-436-0500

www.braggasymca.org

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Support the Arts AND Operation Kid Comfort!!

Comfort! Create! Unite!

with

ARTQUILTStransitions

and the

Fayetteville Museum of Art.

Please take this opportunity to support Operation Kid Comfort while enjoying a fine art exhibit comprised of fine art quilts from some of the most talented artists in the field. Fayetteville Museum of Art of Fayetteville, NC will host ARTQUILTStransitions, the seventh annual juried exhibit of the Professional Art Quilters Alliance - South, from September 12 through November 1, 2009, with the Premiere Party on September 11, 2009 from 6-8 pm.

In lieu of the $5 entry free, and to honor the spirit of September 11th, America's National Day of Service, please bring a donation of materials to support Operation Kid Comfort.

Operation Kid Comfort, a free program of the Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB, provides free photo-transfer comfort quilts and pillows to America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service men and women, as well as an opportunity for the community to unite in support of our military overseas.

Below is a list of suggested materials for donation to Operation Kid Comfort:

1 yard of 100% cotton fabric suitable for children's quilts
1 yard of 100% natural cotton batting
Colorful threads
1 yard 100% cotton bleached muslin
card stock for tags and cards
envelopes
postage to priority shipping of kits to volunteer quilters
Bubble Jet Set solution for HP printers
Freezer paper
HP 564 inkjet cartridges Rotary cutter and/or blades

Operation Kid Comfort is a program of the Armed Services YMCA or Fort Bragg/Pope AFB

www.braggasymca.org 910-436-0500

Comfort! Create! Unite!

These three words have been the standard Operation Kid Comfort lives by for more than five years now. Our quilts are created to provide comfort, while OpKid workshops provide communities across America an opportunity to unite in support of our service men and women serving overseas. Here's a tale of how one community came to support their own through Operation Kid Comfort.

When my husband, Steve, and I decided to spend six weeks in South Texas this winter, I had no thoughts of making Operation Kid Comfort quilts. That is until Steve told a golf buddy about the program.

A few days later, I met Robert Britton at a community gathering. Showing me a photo of his four granddaughters, he said, “Aren't the beautiful!” He quickly followed the question up with “...and they all need quilts! Their Mom and Dad are both heading out on deployments!”

Well, as I said, the last thing I wanted to do on vacation was make quilts! And then I thought about the Britton kids, spending vacations for the coming year without Mom and Dad nearby. They had some tough times coming, being separated from both parents for so long. How could I refuse? Their Mom and Dad were not refusing to help me and mine.

The next day, I met with a Janet Magee, the sales director of the South Padre Island Resort. I asked if there were any quilters in the area and if I could use their club house for an afternoon.

“Absolutely!”

Together, we set to getting the word out. In response to a post in the community email updates and a notice on the bulletin board, seven volunteers signed on to help make the Britton girls Operation Kid Comfort quilts.

An interesting group of volunteers, one quilter, a few of sewers, a retired army wife (who is well acquainted with Fort Bragg), and others who weren't sure how to help but came to lend a hand in any way possible, we set to work.

I had the photos pre-printed on fabric, and thanks to Janet R., who cut the fabric into strips before the workshop, we were able to put together four quilts in one afternoon.

It didn't take long to fit into an 'assembly line'. Some were pinning, some were pressing, and some were sewing.

And didn't these quilts turn out gorgeous!

Your community can do this too. Operation Kid Comfort is in need of long distance quilters to make quilts for our OpKids. We will send you kits with photos printed on fabric ready to be put together. Please contact operationkidcomfort@gmail.com to learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of the children of our deployed service members.

Please consider serving those who serve America, by supporting Operation Kid Comfort, or any of the ASYMCA programs. Questions and contributions may be directed to:

Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg

208 Thorncliff Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28303.

910-436-0500

Thank you so much to the OpKid volunteers, Alice G., Jeanie M., Patti K., Nancy F., Karen K., Donna S., and Janet R. for your talents and time, the entire community of South Padre Island Resort for your concern for America's Littlest Heroes. And THANK YOU to the Britton family. Your sacrifice and bravery is not forgotten. We are honored to include your children in the OpKid family.

Comfort!

Create!

Unite!

Thank YOU

There is no way to imagine Operation Kid Comfort without the help of its contributors and volunteers. They are the oil that has kept this engine going for almost five years. Can you believe it --- FIVE YEARS! If only there was a way we could report on them all, but the time it takes away from our OpKids and their quilts would offset the kindness they've bestowed. Today, we will highlight two contributors that represent what the OpKid family is all about. Please know that these kind souls represent the MANY who have made Operation Kid Comfort the award-winning and successful program that it is today.

Mark Hordyszynski, an award-winning fabric designer whose work can be seen throughout the world of fiber has donated more than 50 yards of fabric. Included in the donations several yards of 'solid' colors that will coordinate nicely with much of what we have on hand, and some adorable juvenile prints and dots that we know our OpKids love! Thank you Mark for you generosity. To learn more about Mark and his talents, please visit his website: www.markhordyszynski.com/

Also recognized here is the MOMS Club chapter of Easton Area, Easton, PA. Under the direction of Heather Fredericks, these ladies formed teams with each team making one quilt. Using images already printed on fabric and provided by the ASYMCA workshop on Fort Bragg, along with a generous dose of love and appreciation for our military families, these MOMS constructed four beautiful quilts for our OpKids. I'm sure you join us as we send a great big THANK YOU to the MOMS. To learn more about MOMS, please visit their website: http://www.geocities.com/momsclubofeaston/index.html

We have so many wonderful people in the OpKid family, all who offer their love and prayers to our military and join us in our mission to serve the children of those who serve America. If you would like to be part of this phenomenal team, please contact: mburtonasymca@earthlink.net.

Donations and contributions can be mailed directly to:

Operation Kid Comfort
ASYMCA of Fort Bragg and Pope AFB
208 Thorncliff Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28303

To receive a quilt for a child you know, please contact: operationkidcomfort@gmail.com.

Thank you to all our contributors and volunteers. Without YOU OpKid would not be possible!

Support OpKids With Fabled Fibers

Operation Kid Comfort is so grateful to have the support of many within the quilting community, including the amazing talents of some special members of Quiltart.com who created the 51 quilts of Fabled Fibers: Art Quilt Enchantments. The collection spans Aladdin to Treasure Island, and includes fairy tales, folk stories, fables, the classics and original stories written by the artists themselves, with many of the works being included in the 2008 Fabled Fibers calendar and greeting cards.

Fabled Fibers: Art Quilt Enchantments is honored to hold it's live premiere at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, November 1-4, 2007. And, check the Fabled Fibers event schedule regularly for new venues being added from throughout the country.

Twelve images of the quilts are included in our 2008 Fabled Fibers wall calendar and eight more on the Fabled Fibers greeting cards, with more to be added in the future. Each sale directly supports Operation Kid Comfort and other children's programs of the Armed Services YMCA. And ALL sales include shipping, handling, and sales tax within the continental U.S.

So many of you have been asking what you can do to help Operation Kid Comfort as we continue our support of America's littles heroes, the children of our deployed service men and women. Visit Fabled Fibers: Art Quilt Enchantments, spend some time viewing the quilts and reading the stories, and then, visit our shop to purchase the 2008 Fabled Fibers wall calendar and greeting cards.

There is no better way to support our troops than to care for their families while they are away.

Military Brats Offer Support to OpKids

Who knows better what the children of today's military are going through better than former military brats? The adults who spent their childhood in military communities and missing a parent far away.

Operation Kid Comfort is proud to welcome Military Brats Registry, with a membership of 78,539 adults who are reconnecting with childhood friends made in military communities throughout the world, to the OpKid family. Founder, Marc Curtis, has asked each of his many registry members to draw on their own experience to support Operation Kid Comfort by sending in a $25 donation to Operation Kid Comfort of the ASYMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB. Each $25 donation will cover the cost of one quilt and help with the childcare that allows many of our military spouse volunteers to attend our weekly OpKid workshops.

Please join me in thanking Marc and the many Military Brats who remember our military and our military, and their support. To learn more about Military Brats Registry, please visit www.militarybrats.com. To read the OpKid entry to the Military Brats Blog, please visit www.militarybrat.com/bratblog.cfm.

You can join Military Brats Registry in their support by sending your tax deductible donation to:
Operation Kid Comfort
ASYMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB
208 Thorncliff Drive
Fayetteville, NC 28303

Comfort! Create! Unite!

'OpKid" Storytelling

Operation Kid Comfort has so many stories to tell: stories of our military families who bravely endure the long separations now demanded of them, stories of our phenomenal volunteers who endlessly work to make the lives of military families easier to endure, and stories of this amazing journey of Operation Kid Comfort and how it grew from the dream of just a few into a reality that serves families through military installations across the U.S. and overseas. Read on for a couple of new stories we have to offer you, and be sure to be a part of our stories by posting your comments, as well.

The Operation Kid Comfort segment of The Story with Dick Gordon, which aired through WUNC public radio on April 27, 2007, speaks to the Operation Kid Comfort beginnings and gets to the heart of why we do this: to make the lives of our deployed service men and women, and their families a little bit easier. You can listen to the interview and read about our story of Operation Kid Comfort at the program’s website: the story Take a few moments to check it out and leave a comment about what ‘OpKid’ means to you, your family and your military community.

Our thanks go to Dick Gordon and The Story’s producer, Denise Schneider, for the opportunity to speak about Operation Kid Comfort. Mr. Gordon and I spoke of the almost 5,000 children that have received Operation Kid Comfort quilts and pillows, more than 2,000 through the Armed Services of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB. The items are FREE of charge, and our way of saying THANK YOU to America’s bravest and their little heroes: the children waiting at home for Mommy or Daddy to return.

We welcome your support. For information on how you can become an official sponsor of Operation Kid Comfort please contact operationkidcomfort@gmail.com or call 910/436-0500. Contributions can be mailed to:

Operation Kid Comfort

Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB

208 Thorncliff Drive

Fayetteville, NC 28303

And we have another story for you … or should I say FIFTY stories! Operation Kid Comfort is so pleased to welcome the artists of Fabled Fibers: Art Quilt Enchantments into our family. As members of Quiltart.com, these artists have offered their talents by illustrating their favorite children’s stories in quilt art form. At www.fabledfibers.com/ you can wander through our online galleries to see the amazing story quilts they have created, and read the accompanying tales. From Aladdin to Treasure Island, Fabled Fibers includes fairy tales, folk stories and fables, as well as some lovely original stories by the artists themselves.

Very soon, we will be offering Fabled Fibers products to raise funds for Operation Kid Comfort. From day one, I have searched for a vehicle of ongoing income for the program, and with the help of our Fabled Fibers artists, we have found just that. Check back to see our note cards, calendars and bookmarks that will be available for sale at www.fabledfibers.com.

And speaking of venues…Operation Kid Comfort is so very pleased and honored to announce that, with the sponsorship of Hewlett-Packard, Fabled Fibers: Art Quilt Enchantments will open at the Fall 2007 International Quilt Market and Festival. HP, Quilts, Inc. and The International Quilt Market have been supporters of Operation Kid Comfort since the program’s inception. Fabled Fibers and Operation Kid Comfort are the result of community efforts that include corporate support, individual contributions and the talents of hundreds of volunteers. Please consider being part of this wonderful community. To learn more please email: operationkidcomfort@gmail.com.