Over four different afternoons, students in grades four, five and six at Henderson Elementary School were taught how to sew by parents and grandparents. They worked on a project that would eventually be given away to a good cause.
At the end of May, students presented Carol Stokes, from Powell River’s Grace House, with a friendship quilt they made in class. There had been a wonderful feeling of community in the classroom as students, parents and grandparents worked together on the project.
“When we started making the quilt, the students didn’t know who they wanted to give it to, but they knew they wanted to donate it to someone in need,” said Hayley Smisko, grade four/five teacher at Henderson. “The quilt is also environmentally friendly in that the fabric scraps used to make the squares were donated by a Henderson parent, Noni Stremming.” The back of the quilt was a sheet purchased from Powell River Health Care Auxiliary Economy Shop.
When Stokes attended Henderson to accept the quilt, she answered more than 20 questions from students about Grace House, said Smisko. Stokes then asked the students, “What does this friendship quilt mean to you?” Some of the students’ responses included, “we all came together to work on it,” “it is a comfort for people who need it,” and “it is a gift to show we’re all in this together.” Stokes informed the students that the quilt will remain at Grace House as a token of support from the students.
