CQA Members working together to create quilts to warm the hearts and lives of several charitable groups. 

CQA Community Quilts Project Comfort Givers, one of the small groups within Camarillo Quilters Association, is the leader of our extensive Community Quilts Project.  This group prepares quilt kits for members to make as well as kits for pillow cases and burp cloths.  These kits are available at our monthly Association meetings.  In June and December Comfort Givers organizes the donation of our finished quilts to the charities we support.  At these meetings representatives from each group give us a brief update on their work and then receive their quilts.  This project is near and dear to the hearts of Camarillo Quilters Association and we thank Comfort Givers for all their dedication in coordinating this project. Below is a list of the charities who are the recipients of the quilts made by our members: A New Start for Moms A special program in Ventura County where women can get help for alcohol and other drug related problems  The center is special because they offer services not only to women of all ages, but especially to those who are pregnant or have young children. Casa Pacifica “We meet kids and families at the most challenging times of their lives and help them overcome some of life’s most difficult circumstances – abuse and neglect, complex emotional and behavioral issues, family crises.  We restore hope, help children find joy in daily living and improve families’ chances at making a better life for themselves and at finding a place in their community where they can be successful.  Casa Pacifica is committed to children unconditionally.” Kids to Kids Their mission is: To meet the needs of the less fortunate who slip through the cracks of society (with special emphasis on kids and their families) with basic needs, holiday gifts and hope and to help the displaced. Life Centers of Ventura County Helping women who find themselves in unexpected pregnancy situations since 1972.  “We believe that no woman should have to face this challenge alone.  Life Centers affirms the value of life by providing a network of care that includes counseling, healing support and resources that explain the truth about life and help women make informed decisions. Lighthouse The Lighthouse is a faith=based Rescue Mission that provides Life Recovery Programs for women and children and a Safe Harbor Emergency Shelter.  We assist each client to identify their strengths, overcome homelessness, addiction and/or other life challenging issues. Infusion Center at Ventura Co. Medical Center Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at Ventura Co. Medical Center Each of these tiny babies receive a quilt that is draped over their isolate.  The quilts help to protect the babies from the harsh lights of the intensive care unit but more importantly parents can identify their child or children immediately when they enter the unit.  Pediatrics at Ventura Co. Medical Center – Pillowcases are made for the pediatric patients at Ventura County Medical Center Project Understanding Their mission statement is twofold: To do justice by serving the poor, hungry and oppressed with compassion and mercy, and to provide avenues for those who wish to serve others.  Project Understanding initiates, develops, and maintains special projects pulling together the efforts of individuals, local congregations and groups to meet the needs of those in need. Rain Rain is a transitional living center that provides housing and needed resources (i.e. job training, money management, parenting classes) to help individuals and families re-establish independent living. Safe Harbor –  A treatment center for women that is designed for the specific and unique needs of women in the grips of drug and alcohol addiction. and dual diagnosis.  Safe Harbor’s atmosphere of love and acceptance envelopes each client, allowing them to break through the barriers which have kept them trapped in the cycle of drug and alcohol abuse. Humanity Senior Concerns Habitat for Humanity – Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County is working to provide adequate housing by building simple, decent homes in partnership with people in need.  Camarillo Quilters Association provides a quilt for each family member’s bed.   Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County has repaired more than 500 homes and built more than 50 new houses. California Veterans Home in Saticoy The mission of the CalVet Homes is “to provide the state’s aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential and medical care and services in a home-like environment.”  This mission acknowledges the tremendous sacrifice California veterans have made and recognizes them for their noble service to our nation. Teen Challenge Teen Challenge is a non-profit organization that relies entirely on the generous donations, funding and volunteer efforts of both individuals and organizations throughout our communities in order to offer services at no cost to the individual.  Teen Challenge reaches out to people from all backgrounds, with particular emphasis on the urban poor, women and ethnic minorities.  We also give back to the communities we are in with outreaches, events, after-school programs and much more.

HOME OF THE BRAVE QUILT PROJECT CAMARILLO QUILTER’S ASSOCIATION VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA CHAPTER   Quilters nationwide are participating in a grassroots project to honor the service and memory of men and women who have died from injuries sustained while on active military duty in since 9-11 and in Afghanistan or Iraq. The project was founded by Don Beld & the Citrus Belt Quilters from Southern California in July of 2004. The project has grown to include all 50 states. Our California coordinator is Cathy Kreter. Cathy also serves as our National Coordinator.   The quilts are replicas of the U.S. Sanitary Commission quilts that were made for soldiers serving during the Civil War. The U.S. Sanitary Commission supplied the Civil War soldiers with many daily necessities including more than 250,000 quilts. The quilts measure 48” x 84”. This is the size that was preferred by the U.S. Sanitary Commission as it fit well when used on a cot or carried as a bed roll by a Civil War soldier. An example of one quilt made for the project. We are using the U. S. Sanitary Commission album block as seen in the photograph above. A quilt made during the Civil War, using this same album block, was sent to a Civil War soldier. He eventually met and married one of the makers. The quilt was passed down in that family generation after generation and is now on display at the Abraham Lincoln Shrine Museum in Redlands, California.   The finished quilts are presented to the parents, spouse and/or children of the service member along with a condolence card, certificate, and brief history of the U.S. Sanitary Commission and the history of the Home of the Brave Project. A special presentation label is sewn on the back of the quilt with a replica patch of the original inked stamp used by the U. S. Sanitary Commission.   If you have questions, wish to participate or support our project contact: Janet Curtis, one of the coordinators for the California Chapter of the Home of the Brave Quilt Project by email at janetcurtis@hotmail.com or by telephone at (805) 484-8913. More information can be found on our national website at:  www.homeofthebravequilts.com