In memory of our servicemen and servicewomen

I thought it the right time to talk about a project that I am involved in called "Home of the Brave." The main goal is to make and provide quilts to the families of fallen servicemen and servicewomen, of which there are simply too many.

I decided to join this effort in memory of my dad, Charles Prentice, who was a career Army man. What really got me going was the death of LCpl David Raymond Baker, a local serviceman in my home town. I didn't know him, but he touched my family in many ways. My son was working with my uncle's tree service down the street from Baker's parents' home when the Marines arrived to give the family the news. My husband was working at Kohl's in Mentor when a member of the Baker family came in to buy clothes for the funeral. My husband had also placed the story in The News-Herald the day before. His sister worked with my best friend's sister at a local bowling alley. 

I decided to stand with the grieving community when he was brought to the church for the funeral.

I talked to my quilt group and got a sew date to make blocks to use to construct quilts. With the help of my friends who donated money and signed blocks, the business owner who let us use her overflow room and the The News-Herald that published a story on our efforts, we have made a few of these special quilts.

The Ohio quilt block is a little different than what is on the website, but it is keeping with the tradition of a signature quilt. We use the patten of the Civil War, meaning no bright reds, as red is said to remind the families of the blood of their fallen son, daughter or spouse.

We still need to have batting, backing and to have them quilted and delivered to the families. If you know any quilter who does Longarm Quilting and would be interested in assisting in our effort, please contact me. You can find the detailed history here.