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'Quilt of Valor' will benefit Northfield soldiers in Kuwait

By Kristina Boyer '05
March 31, 2005

A 'Quilt of Valor', assembled by 11 St. Olaf faculty and staff, was recently sold for over $500 at a dance and silent auction hosted by the Dundas Jaycees to benefit the Northfield Support Our Soldiers (SOS) group. Proceeds from the event helped buy communication equipment for Northfield National Guard soldiers stationed in Kuwait.

ValorQuiltLG
Quilts of Valor, a nationwide effort to provide wounded soldiers with homemade wartime quilts, has assembled and distributed more than 500 quilts to date. It is because of over 500 small dedicated groups of friends, family, and co-workers such as the one at St. Olaf, led by Pat Hall, administrative academic assistant in the economics department, that Quilts of Valor has set for itself a goal of assembling 10,000 quilts for returning soldiers.

For those who work together assembling Valor quilts, it is truly a labor of love. "I have always felt a sense of kinship and deep concern for soldiers and military families," shares Hall. "I wanted to show them support, and considering I have been quilting for many years, Quilts of Valor was a way I could show that support."

Since January, Hall's group has put together two quilts and has no plans on stopping until they have completed at least 10. While Quilts of Valor are usually sent to military chaplains to be officially blessed and distributed, Hall's quilting group decided to donate one of their quilts for the auction, as it directly benefited soldiers as well.

"There are moms and dads here in Northfield waiting with fearful and hopeful hearts," says Nancy Hollinger, a friend of Hall and fellow quilter. "It is important for us to get involved and support in any way we can."

To learn more about Quilts of Valor, visit their website www.quiltsforsoldiers.com, or for information regarding the St. Olaf Quilts of Valor group, contact Pat Hall at hall@stolaf.edu, or 507-646-3149.

Contact Kristina Boyer at 507-636-3032 or boyer@stolaf.edu.