History

Victoria’s Quilts Canada (VQC) was established by Betty Giffin of Ottawa in October 1999. She invited a small group of friends to discuss the possibility of quilters getting together to make quilts to donate to people living with cancer in Canada. The idea blossomed and VQC quickly grew. Growth has continued since 1999 when VQC was first imagined. Twenty-eight Branches now operate across nine provinces in Canada. They, with over 45 Friends Groups, now make and distribute quilts from coast to coast to coast. VQC’s primary focus continues to be the production and distribution of quilts to people living with cancer, at no cost to the person requesting, or to the person receiving the quilt. That is only possible due to the dedicated cadre of volunteers that works tirelessly behind the scenes: quilters, quilt packers, delivery drivers, branch leaders, friends’ group coordinators, fabric coordinators, kit makers, administrative and financial volunteers, fundraisers, and board members. As founder Betty Giffin continues to say, “With the help of our volunteers, the community and blessings from above, we will continue to provide comfort, both physical and spiritual, to those struggling with cancer, and we will continue to grow until the day that cancer is no longer with us.”

Blanche Dunn has been with VQC since the beginning. She has fulfilled many roles over the years. As “Keeper of the Stash” she was always amazed at the wonderful fabrics that are donated. When she was the “Coordinator of Friend’s Groups for Ottawa” and a “Friend’s Group Coordinator”, she had the opportunity to get to know many of our volunteers personally. She was involved in many VQC activities, including the “Quilt-a-Thon”, quilt raffles, fashion shows, bake sales and she even barbecued at Loblaws for a fund raiser. Blanche was Chair of the Ottawa Branch and President of VQC National Board of Directors from 2008 to 2023. Blanche has worked tirelessly for over 26 years and has always had time to chat with anyone to help solve issues, inspire volunteers or come up with new ideas to continue to make wonderful quilts. Thank you, Blanche, for your incredible contribution and unwavering dedication to VQC.

VQC founder Betty Giffin

Timeline:

1999: VQC is established in Ottawa, and deliveres 16 quilts;
2000: VQC is incorporated as a charity in Canada;
2003: VQC expands to include 8 branches across Canada and over a dozen Friends Groups in Ottawa;
2007: VQC delivers its 10,000th quilt;
2011: VQC delivers its 25,000th quilt to a recipient in Prince Edward Island;
2013: VQC’s trademark is officially registered;
2014: VQC corporate is established; VQC National is the management arm, that oversees the branches and represents VQC with government agencies;
2015: VQC’s official website is launched, with the ability to request quilts online;
2016; VQC delivers its 50,000th quilt to a recipient in Ottawa;
2019 – 2021: VQC groups can no longer meet and quilt requests drop, due to a global pandemic, but quilters stay engaged, sewing in their homes until deliveries are again permitted. There was hardly any reduction in VQC productivity, and volunteers were delighted to return to active VQC groups and to deliver quilts to recipients;
2023: VQC delivers its 100,000th quilt;
2024: VQC celebrates 25 years of operations.

Growth has continued since 1999 when VQC was first imagined. Twenty-eight Branches now operate across nine provinces in Canada. They, with over 45 Friends Groups, now make and distribute quilts from coast to coast to coast.

VQC’s primary focus continues to be the production and distribution of quilts to people living with cancer. That is only possible due to the dedicated cadre of volunteers that works tirelessly behind the scenes: quilters, quilt packers, delivery drivers, branch leaders, friends’ group coordinators, fabric coordinators, kit makers, administrative and financial volunteers, fundraisers, and board members.

As founder Betty Giffin continues to say, “With the help of our volunteers, the community and blessings from above, we will continue to provide comfort, both physical and spiritual, to those struggling with cancer, and we will continue to grow until the day that cancer is no longer with us.”