Otterville women donate quilts to vets

March 05--OTTERVILLE -- In three weeks time, women from the Otterville Senior Center have created 40 lap-quilts for veterans at the Harry S. Truman VA Hospital in Columbia.

Bonnie Wolfe, coordinator for the project, said last summer the women began sewing doll clothes and decided to donate the proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project. Her son, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Wolfe, is stationed at Fort Drum in New York. He was the reason she came up with the idea.

"He's on his 18th year and he's spent over 60 months in the war zone," she said "And that's what got us started on the Wounded Warriors (Project). I figured if he spent that much time in the war, we could help the guys who came back from the war."

The idea for making and donating lap-quilts came about with a visit to the VA hospital in Columbia.

"I was up there with my husband one day," she said. "I went up to the information desk, and they said they definitely had a need for them."

She asked how many lap-quilts were needed and was told there wasn't a limit. In the past the group has made quilts for Birthright, in Sedalia, and they plan to make additional lap-quilts for veterans at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg.

"We've taken some to seniors at the senior centers and at the nursing homes," she added.

On Wednesday, Wolfe, Debbie Bentzin, Elsie Simmons and Nina Walje were at the center working on the quilts with sewing machines and quilting frames. Dorothy Brake and Martha Lou Young, who are also working on the lap-quilt project, were not able to be there Wednesday. Brake usually cuts all the quilt pieces and Young personalizes the quilts.

The women began meeting on Wednesdays and then branched out.

"And then we ended up going to Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and sometimes we do Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays," Wolfe said. "It depends on how much time we have. Now that we're doing it, we're usually here from noon to 4 (p.m.)."

"Everything has been donated to us," Simmons, secretary of the center, added. "We've not bought anything."

"We've had different people donate bundles of fabric when they found out what we were doing," Wolfe added.

The women personalize the quilts with labels created by Young. Each label reads, "God Bless you Otterville Sr. Citizens."

Bentzin laughed and said the women sometimes send "homework" with her when she leaves for the day. She has a commercial sewing machine at home, and she often takes quilts with her to work on in her spare time.

"I took 11 of them home and put the backings on them," Bentzin said. "I have the big machine that goes fast, it's in a big table with a big motor on it."

Bentzin has only been helping out for the last week and loves being a part of the project.

"She's our professional," Wolfe added.

The women still have doll clothes for sale with the proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. The clothes fit an 18-inch doll such as the American Girl series. They are also accepting donations of cotton fabric for lap-quilts.

Those who wish to donate fabric to the veteran lap-quilt project or who wish to help sew may contact Wolfe at 366-4925 or Debbie Bentzin at 366-4344 or the Otterville Senior Center, 200 Grover St., at 366-4755. Fabric donations may also be left at the B & L Market next to the center.

The Otterville Senior Center is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and welcomes anyone 55 and older to participate in their programs.

Faith Bemiss can be reached at 826-1000 ext. 1481 or @flbemiss.

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