1 Million Pillowcase Challenge
by Andrea Paden
Cozy Quilt Shop proudly participated in the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge sponsored
by AllPeopleQuilt.com. This is a terrific program that took place in 2010 and was
designed to inspire people of all ages to make a pillowcase for those in need. A
pillowcase can provide comfort for a cancer patient, hope for a foster child,
encouragement for a battered woman, or beauty for a nursing home resident. A handmade
pillowcase is a cozy, happy and personal way to show you care.
Here is Daniela Stout in a mound of donated pillowcases. ... this is just moments
before many of them were shipped off to the recipients!
Cozy Quilt Shop has picked two wonderful causes that have agreed to accept our donated
pillowcases: ConKerr Cancer and TS Workhorse &TS Thunder.
ConKerr Cancer is a organization that provides colorful, cheerful, handmade pillowcases
to children battling cancer and other life threatening illnesses at Rady Children's
Hospital, The Ronald McDonald House, other local pediatric wards, and pediatric
hospices.
If you want to learn more about this amazing organization, the boy who inspired
it and the woman and son who started it, visit ConKerrCancer.org. Bring your tissues. This one will touch
everyone.
If you are making pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer, please follow their simple guidelines:
1.Use new, quality fabrics in bright cheerful colors,
2.Do not wash the pillowcases as some detergents bother these children,
3.Please place each pillowcase in a quart size ziplock bag.
Local organizers will come and pick them up periodically and will get them to the
local hospitals in need.
Our other great cause is very different, but in some ways the same. We are in touch
with a grass roots effort to make pillowcases for our U.S. Military troops in Afghanistan.
They too appreciate the soft feel of a handmade pillowcase as a reminder of home,
family and better days. These pillowcases for Task Force Workhorse & Task Force
Thunder will be mailed to chaplains stationed with the troops in Afghanistan and
will be given directly to the troops. Most of them are male, so keep your pillowcases
masculine with maybe a few feminine ones.
The AllPeopleQuilt goal is for 1 million pillowcases to be donated. You can check
their current tally at the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge page on AllPeopleQuilt.com.
At the time of this post, 34,556 pillowcases had already been collected!
Click here for an updated count on the National Level!
Our Cozy Quilt Shop goal is 3,000 pillowcases! We've got all year, so there is no
reason we can't do it! Check out our Thursday Cozy eNewseltter for the ongoing Cozy total.
Make a Pillowcase, Make a Difference
To participate in this fantastic event, you are going to need a pillowcase pattern!
To make it as easy as possible for you, you can find some simple patterns at AllPeopleQuilt.com's
1 Million Pillowcase Challenge page or at ConKerrCancer.org.
Bring your completed pillowcases to Cozy Creative Center at 756 Jamacha Road
in El Cajon, CA 92019.
Here are a few samples to give you inspiration!
