A special moment took place during the opening day of the O-Ho Quilters annual quilt show in Ormstown on September 20. Local quilters and visitors were able to watch as an Ormstown resident and veteran, Alan Howie, was presented with a Quilt of Valour.
“Our mission is to get a quilt on every veteran,” said Quilts of Valour Canada’s vice president, Camilla Gallibois, following the brief but emotional ceremony where she dedicated the quilt before wrapping it around Howie.
A label stitched onto the back of the quilt reads: “Handmade with love, respect, and gratitude for your sacrifice to Canada. May the hugs stitched into this quilt give you comfort, strength, and love.” Gallibois, who received her quilt after serving 28 years in the Canadian military, says the quilts do just that.
“My Quilt of Valour is on the back of my recliner, and it is used faithfully. My husband’s Quilt of Valour is at the foot of our bed, and it is used faithfully because he pulls it up every night,” said Gallibois. “Everyone has a different way of using their quilt, but it brings them comfort,” she explained.
Gallibois has presented over 200 quilts in the last five years since she retired and began volunteering for Quilts of Valour Canada. “I am a beginner in quilting, and when I look at these quilts, I’m still in awe when I see the quality and the work that goes into them,” she said.
The O-Ho Quilters have long supported the Quilts of Valour program. Gallibois pointed out that while a lot of the quilters had participated in creating Quilts of Valour, most had never seen a presentation. “It was beautiful, and it was a nice opportunity for the ladies that make these quilts to see where our quilts are going,” she explained, noting it was especially nice to see some of the work going back to a local veteran.
Quilts of Valour Canada was started in 2006, when Edmonton quilter Lezley Zwaal presented quilts to three Canadian Armed Forces members who were recovering in hospital from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. From there, the organization became a national charity in 2009, and since then, over 24,160 quilts have been presented.