TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A new school year is here again and — just like clockwork — a gift of comfort for children who may normally go without.
- Brevard County women make quilts for underprivileged children
- Kathy Phillips is a quilt shop owner mobilized fellow quilters
- "Something as small as a quilt can mean the world" to kids, she says
They're handmade quilts, sewn by three dozen women who are members of four Titusville-area quilting guilds.
"Quilts represent comfort and love," Kathy Phillips says. "The ladies who make these quilts put all of that into it and more."
Three years ago, Phillips, who owns a quilt shop in the Titusville Mall, was approached by the staff at Coquina Elementary. Most of the kids who go to the school are underprivileged. So she came up with the idea to create quilts for students.
"They could use the help," Phillips says. "That little extra gift goes a long way."
That year, the women made 20 custom quilts.
This year, the number has doubled, and 40 kids will receive soft, unique, gender-neutral 40-by-50-inch blankets.
"Most of them are getting them done in a week or two at most," she says.
Phillips credits the quilters for their hard work and dedication. She's also grateful the gifts can brighten underprivileged kids' days during their school year and beyond.
"Even something as small as a quilt can mean the world to them," Phillips says. "Our children are our future. Charity should begin at home."