2017 news

December 2017
2017 Raffle winners

The draw for our 2017 Raffle took place on Saturday, December 9, 2017 and we'd like to congratulate the winners!

The first prize, a queen-sized quilt titled Irish Mist, was won by Janet Guthrie in Belleville. The second prize, a lap-sized quilt called Indian Summer, went to Ottawa's Dorothy Morrison. Lastly, the third prize winner of a crib-sized quilt titled Symphony in Green was Peggy Schenk of Ottawa. The quilts were officially presented to the raffle winners on January 6, 2018.

Victoria's Quilts Canada would like to sincerely thank all the people who purchased tickets, the volunteers who sold tickets, and the people and organizations who allowed us to sell tickets from their locations. Proceeds from the raffle will be used by the VQC National Office to purchase materials to continue making quilts.

Once again, congratulations to our winners.


First prize winner Janet Guthrie
 

Second prize winner, Dorothy Morrison (on the right ) with VQC Board member Judy Lancaster
 

Third prize winner, Peggy Schenk (on the right) with VQC Board member Judy Lancaster

July 2017
2017 Raffle – Get your tickets this fall!

2017 Raffle FlyerClick image to download flyer

This year’s annual quilt raffle for Victoria’s Quilts Canada will take place this fall, and the prizes are three absolutely stunning quilts! Tickets cost $2 each or 3 tickets for $5 and will be available for purchase starting in September from VQC members across Ottawa and its surrounding communities. You can also obtain tickets by calling us at (613) 843-9212 or emailing us at info@victoriasquiltscanada.com. Please note that the tickets can only be purchased within Ontario.

The draw will take place on December 9, 2017, in Ottawa, and the winners will be announced on the VQC website shortly thereafter. Proceeds from the raffle will be used by the VQC National Office to purchase materials to continue making quilts.

First Prize Quilt – Irish Mist
This absolutely stunning queen-sized quilt (100” x 88”) was made by Jan Peszat. The top is comprised of 100% cotton in mottled cream, various shades of khaki beige and black prints. Its central motif is an eight-pointed star outlined in black that contains several smaller eight-pointed stars. The backing is a one-piece beige print of tiny branches and the quilting is an all-over feather pattern in dark beige thread. This quilt was appraised at $1,500.

Second Prize Quilt – Indian Summer
This is a gorgeous lap-sized quilt (63 ⅜” x 72”) made by Martine Genest. The 100% cotton top is comprised of orange, rust, green and fall batik colours in a flying geese pattern. The flying geese also appear in the outermost border. The backing is 100% cotton and uses two pieces of a large leaf pattern. The quilting is a leaf pattern in gold thread. This quilt was appraised at $1,065.

Third Prize Quilt – Symphony in Green
This tranquil crib-sized quilt (58” x 47”) uses 100% cotton fabrics for the top in olive green, light beige and cream colours. The central motif is comprised of 11” blocks in rows that alternate between two different quilt block patterns. The backing is in muted greens, yellow cream and a medium flower cotton print. This quilt was appraised at $500.

Don't miss this chance to win one of these beautiful creations! In the process, you’ll be helping us make more quilts to comfort people living with cancer.

June 2017
New Branch opens in Halifax

A new VQC Branch is up and running in Halifax! It has just five members for now (two of which live in Digby, Nova Scotia), but they are very excited and expect the Branch to grow quickly. They’re already making headlines in the local community with the publication of a May 2017 article in Chebucto News (Victoria's Quilts Canada comes to Spryfield).

The Branch currently meets twice a month, on a Wednesday and a Friday evening. Its members are now altering several donated quilt tops so that they fit the dimensions of a VQC quilt. They expect to soon have 8-10 completed quilts ready to deliver.

The opening of the Halifax Branch means there are now two in Nova Scotia. Tantramar, which is the other one, has been around since 2010 and delivers quilts to three nearby counties: Cumberland, Pictou and Colchester. Halifax expects it can soon cover the rest of the province, starting with the greater Halifax region. Welcome aboard, Halifax! We’re delighted to have you on our team.

If you would like to join the Branch, or need more information, contact Sandra Adam, the Branch Coordinator, at halifax@victoriasquiltscanada.com.

June 2017
Friends of VQC-Moncton gather to sew quilt tops

Judy Rodgers and her friends with some finished quilt tops

This past April, fifteen ladies from around New Brunswick gathered at the Bouctouche Inn & Suites during one weekend to sew 85 quilt tops for the VQC-Moncton Branch. The event was organized by Moncton Branch’s Judy Rodgers. It was the fifth time she had gathered friends to sew for VQC, many of whom have, or have had, a loved one diagnosed with cancer. In her words, it was ‘the most amazing weekend!”

The event would not have been possible without the support of The Cartier Foundation and Bouctouche Inn & Suites. When it was over, the finished tops were returned to Moncton where they were quilted and prepared for delivery to fill quilt requests.

March 2017
Join us for the 8th Annual Rabbi Bulka Radio-thon!

Annual report cover

Mark Sunday, June 25, 2017 on your calendars and tune in to Rabbi Reuven Bulka's radio program on 580 CFRA from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Rabbi Bulka has once again generously dedicated his program to raise funds for Victoria's Quilts Canada. Joining Rabbi Bulka as co-host will be Steve Madely, retired host of CFRA's former program, Madely in the Morning.

HOW TO DONATE
Donate online now via the CanadaHelps website or call in during the Radio-thon at 613-224-6835 or 613-838-2520.

Victoria’s Quilts Canada (VQC) is a national, non-profit, charitable organization committed to providing quilts to people living with cancer in Canada. The quilts are a gift and no cost is ever passed on to the requester or the recipient.

Our major sources of funds are donations from private individuals who are often quilt recipients, as well as their families and friends. These donations go directly towards purchasing materials for our quilt-making program (i.e. quilt batting and flannel), as we do not have any paid staff.

VQC currently delivers nearly 600 quilts each month to people living with cancer in Canada. That number continues to grow. Our costs are also increasing. Each month, we spend nearly $8,000 to purchase just the batting and flannel to put in those quilts, plus about $2,400 to mail them to locations not served by a VQC Branch.

Your donation during the Radio-thon is therefore very important. It will enable us to continue purchasing quilt-making supplies and pay for their delivery by mail. Our goal this year is $20,000. We hope you will be able to make this goal a reality.

March 2017
VQC annual general meeting to be held May 13, 2017

The Annual General Meeting for Victoria's Quilts Canada (VQC) will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2017 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. It will be held at Julian of Norwich Anglican Church (formerly St. Richard’s Anglican Church), 9 Rossland Avenue, Nepean, Ontario. The business portion of the meeting will start at 1:00 pm, followed by a coffee break at about 2:15 pm.

The meeting provides an opportunity for members to find out what VQC is doing and how it is continuing to grow. VQC members can also help the Board make decisions about our future by voting on the business conducted at this meeting and on nominations for new Board members.

If you plan to attend, please let us know no later than Saturday, April 15, 2017 by leaving a message on our voice mail at 613-843-9212 or e-mailing us at info@victoriasquiltscanada.com

It won’t be all serious business, however, as the Board uses this event to thank VQC volunteers for their hard work and dedication over the past year. Members also have time to interact with each other in a social environment.

For those travelling from out-of-town, please note that VQC funds cannot be used to reimburse travel and living expenses. If you are unable to attend, please accept our heartfelt thanks and a thank you from all of those whose lives you have touched.

February 2017
Quilt draw winner – Monthly Giving Program

Quilt winner Ann Berezowski (right) giving quilt to her friend Gwen Petrie

In 2016, Victoria’s Quilts Canada (VQC) launched a Monthly Giving Program whose aim was to establish a steadier, more predictable income stream for our quilt-making operations. To launch the program, donors who signed up by the end of 2016 were entered into a draw for a 50” x 70” lap-sized quilt donated to VQC for this purpose. Several people did sign up and the draw was held in late January. VQC would like to congratulate the winner, Ann Berezowski, who lives in Calgary Alberta, and thank her for supporting VQC.

The Monthly Giving Program remains open and, even though there is no quilt draw in 2017, we encourage potential donors to sign up. Donations from private individuals are our major source of funding; monthly donations enable us to plan ahead and could prevent having to suspend operations until we have sufficient funds to pay for more quilt-making supplies. We have no paid staff, so all of the money is used for this purpose. Please consider contributing monthly and help us make a difference in someone’s life.

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Updated: May 2, 2018