Twenty years ago, Barbara Winkler stumbled upon Quilts of Valor, a national nonprofit organization that honors veterans with quilts, online. It spurred her to start her own chapter and bring quilts to veterans in Southern California. Since then, SoCal Quilts of Valor has made and awarded more than 7,800 quilts to veterans.

“[We] make handmade quilts that we award to veterans to thank them for their service, welcome them home [and] help them in their healing,” Winkler says.

Winkler first learned about Quilts of Valor when searching for quilting patterns. One pattern she found was free, as long as the quiltmaker also made another quilt and donated it to Quilts of Valor. As a quiltmaker herself, Winkler saw this as her way to serve the community.

“I have multiple veterans in my family, and I had lots of fabric and lots of patterns I hadn't used, and my family all had quilts,” she says. “So it's like — there's a good use for my expertise.”

Quilting is not always a simple process. Winkler and the other volunteers have to find materials and patterns that would work well for each quilt, cut the fabric and sew the top and back of the quilt. Then, a volunteer long-arm quilter inserts the batting between the two layers and stitches them together. The quilts they make can vary from patriotic patterns to words of encouragement or even favorite sports teams. Veterans themselves can make special requests about what type of quilt pattern they would like.

Winkler and the group also attend community events and collaborate with other veterans’ organizations to find veterans who have not received a quilt from Quilts of Valor yet.

SoCal Quilts of Valor has received awards from organizations such as the Veterans Affairs. But for Winkler, it is not about the awards.

“We don't do it for those things,” Winkler says. “A lot of [veterans] aren't sure that they really need or want a quilt, but then when we do the quilt award, many times their allergies attack and their eyes water. To see that it emotionally touches them, and [to hear] a lot of them tell us that perfect strangers doing this much work on their behalf means a lot to them [is special].”

Winkler says that managing the organization does have challenges. Scheduling and coordinating quilt award events with veterans can be difficult, especially since Winkler is also a full-time caregiver to her husband, a disabled veteran.

Finances are often challenging as well, since they receive no funding. Winkler jokes that they are “supported by Social Security” because many volunteers buy supplies with their use their Social Security checks. But for Winkler, it is a worthwhile cause to fund.

“[The veterans] put their life on the line,” Winkler says. “They've given up their schooling, they've given up their career, they've taken a chance of giving up their family to serve and protect us and give us the freedom to do what we want to do. It’s a small token of appreciation. So many of these veterans, especially the Vietnam veterans, were never told thank you.”

The SoCal Quilts of Valor is always looking for volunteers and donations. Those interested in helping to make the quilts can join their Tuesday meetings at Bell One Christian Reformed Church in Bellflower, CA. You can visit their website for more information.

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