By Phoebe Donald Robinson / Community Columnist

Quilts for Kids, Inc. is a 501-c3 charitable organization that was formed in August 2000 whose mission is “to transform fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse,” see Quiltsforkids.org. More than 2 million quilts have been made from 98 chapters across the world with the goal of 30,000/year for ill and abused kids. Each kit costs approximately $55.
Agnes Pool and Sheila Gallups co-founded the Columbiana Quilts 4 Kids chapter in 2010 to further this mission in Alabama. Quilts of new material are made to specifications, 38 inches by 45 inches for young children and 50 inches by 60 inches for teens, and delivered all over Alabama to places such as UAB Children’s Hospital; Shelby County DHR; Hanceville Shelter in Cullman County; Peds Units, Regional Hospital, Cullman County; Peds Unit, Druid City Hospital, Tuscaloosa; Ronald McDonald Room DC Hospital; Shoal Creek Disaster Relief, Ashville, St. Clair County; King’s Ranch; Hargrove United Methodist Church, distribution center Red Cross, Tuscaloosa; Family Services, Children’s Hospital; Cordova Drop Off Center; Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Mobile; and ER Cullman Regional Medical Center.
“We make patchwork quilts for seriously ill and abused kids,” said Facebook/Columbiana Quilts 4 Kids. “Our mission is ‘One stitch, one quilt, one child at a time, our most worthy cause.’”
The chapter recently had a quilting workshop where members brought black and white strips of fabric and made two “Log Cabin” quilts for Children’s Hospital and two quilts for King’s Home. Judi Elliott won a raffled quilt which raised over $250 for fabric. Quilters Clydene Dyer and Barbara Willingham attended to learn the procedures and founded the second Alabama chapter in Moody, Ala. (see Facebook Moody Quilt 4 Kids, formerly Moody Library Crazy Quilters.) Dyer is a clown who trains over 250 clowns to entertain at UAB Children’s Hospital, Monday through Friday, and Willingham does face painting.
The Columbiana chapter meets every second Saturday at the Columbiana Public Library meeting room from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to anyone. To donate for fabric, please send check to Quilt 4 Kids to P.O. Box 34, Columbiana, Ala. 25051. For more info, email columbianaquilts4kids@gmail.com.