10/17/2011

Terri,

Tina and I are rabid Rotarians with a real passion for children with
unrepaired
clefts. One of the many highlights of our missions is making sure that every
patient receives a quilt. For many children is is the only thing they have
that

is really their own. You should see the faces of surprise, disbelief and joy
when we present a child with a quilt that is selected specifically for them.
The nurses take great care trying to match the quilt to the personality of
each
patient.

You really can't know how important the quilts are. In a situation of pain
and
fear, there is the comfort of a Rotary quilt created with love and concern.
The

children cling to the quilts for comfort and security. Sometimes I think
they
make it possible or the kids to endure the difficult experience of painful
surgery provided by strangers who look and speak totally differently from
them. Can you imagine the distress of a mother who has no other choice than
to
entrust her most treasured possession into the hands of people she does not
know.

One of my most vivid memories is the face of a mother peering through the
small
glass window for the duration of her child's surgery. There was such fear,
anxiety and yes, hope. Then we had to privilege to place her repaired child
in
her arms wrapped in one of your quilts, and watch her tears of joy,
gratitude and relief.

There are no small contributions to the success of each mission. In my
opinion,

the quilts are a large contribution. They really do make a difference!

With gratitude and appreciation.

Rotarian Barbara Fisher

6/14/2010

Dear Terry,
 we sent 4 boxes this morning. They are from the Grace Lutheran Quilters, Grace Lutheran Church, Hibbing, MN 55746   We had fun making the 100 baby quilts. We start the 1st of Jan. and sew on them till we reach our goal of 100. We had them blessed at our Sunday service on June 6th. If you could till us more about the places they go it would be great. We like telling others about the program. Thanks.
Joyce

---

WOW ! ! !

    You have been busy busy quilters.........that's enough for one shipment! ! !

and how does it get any better than this????????????

Terry

9/13/2009

This is a message taken from the Rotaplast blog, on the India mission which is coming to an end:

We arrived in India with 36 boxes, however, the contents of three of those boxes had a very special purpose on this trip – they were full of hand made quilts. Each year Rotary International quilting groups from different districts around the United States make quilts to give to the Rotaplast patients.
 
I can’t begin to tell you how much these quilts mean to our patients. Walking into the waiting room they all have a scared look in their eyes. They hesitantly enter the room unsure of our team or the surgery that awaits. Then a member of our team will hand them their very own handmade quilt and their whole face just lights up. Regardless of their age, both young and old, they immediately wrap themselves up in their beautiful new gift.
 
I really enjoy watching as one of our doctors or nurses picks out the “perfect” quilt for their patient. They dig through the box of quilts making sure they choose a quilt that matches the patients’ gender, age, and even personality. It is adorable! The quilt stays with the patient everywhere they go …. even the surgery room. It is amazing to look in on a surgery and see the quilts draped over their new owner. It is a gift that they will be able to take home and, hopefully, it will remind them of Rotaplast team and all they people who work so hard to make their surgery possible.
 
On behalf of our entire team I would like to thank everyone who dedicated their time to make such beautiful quilts for our patients!

9/18/2008

All I can say to this is 'WOW"..............

This gal is from Australia...........and yes, WAS has received several quilts from her............

Can you imagine .........

Terry

 

I'm still here but mostly lurking. I just wanted to share my exciting
news and it's all thanks to Sunshine, Terry H. and Carol E.
I've donated over 1,500 quilts to orphanages in East Timor over the last
5 years and they have been distributed through Rotary. I wouldn't have
become involved if Carol E. hadn't issued a challenge when we donated to
WAS in her much loved father's name. Then Terry H. suggested we contact
Rotary to help with costs in sending the quilts. Because of these events
I found a local Rotary Club which has been sending my quilts where they
are needed.
Now they have invited me to go on one of their humanitarian trips to
East Timor. I was asked last Friday and we leave in a week's time. They
are building new schools and were keen to fit another trip in before the
wet season. It's been a rush but I have a new passport and have had my
vaccinations etc so I'm just finishing off some quilts and crocheted
blankets to take.
I'll be updating my blog
http://www.sewmanyquiltstoolittletime.blogspot.com if anyone is
interested in my trip but won't be online for the 3 weeks that I'm away.
Just thought I'd share and thank the members of Sunshine for steering
me into this big adventure.
Hugs Jan Mac
Aussie

 

 

7/31/2008

Subject: El Salvador Rotaplast Mission

Dear Terry and Fellow Wrap-A-Smile Quilters,

 

Thank you so much for your mission which is beyond words of gratitude. Your dedication and work is wonderful, touches many lives and is appreciated by so many. You affect more children and families than you can imagine. I know because I have seen it in their faces and heard it in their words of thanks.

 

This month I had the pleasure of being a part of a Rotaplast mission trip to El Salvador.  I am a member of the Rotary Club of Sacramento which in part sponsored this mission.  I was blessed to be the photographer and journalist for this mission and my 19 year old college student daugher also attended as the recreational therapist.  It was our first mission and the experience of our lives individually and together. 

 

Your quilts brightened up every part of the process for the children from the intake, through the surgery and recovery, to the follow up clinic and finally to the journey out the hospital to return home.  The children and their families were surprised, delighted and grateful that they were able to take your quilts home with them. Your gifts were truly appreciated.

 

I presented a photo slide show of our mission trip to our Rotary Club lunch meeting (attended by 300-350) last week and many were in tears and greatly moved by the work accomplished by Rotaplast and all those involved.  A part of my presentation included photographs of your patch and quilts and how each brightened the process for all involved. I will email you the photos of your patch and the quilts from my presentation. 

 

If you would like, please email me with your street address where I can mail you a CD of the 215 photos of the overview of our mission that I made to our Rotary Club last week. It takes about 25-30 minutes to review and if you have not had the opportunity, this may give you a good overview of a mission process.

 

Thank you again for your hard work and dedication.  I truly hope that you have fun, enjoy getting together and support each other in sharing your mission. Please know that what you do is so very important to so many involved in every aspect of each Rotaplast mission.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

With warm regards,

 Susan Sheridan

susanjsheridan@comcast.net

 

 

 

 

Hello, Julene:
I hope you don't feel I have taken over your life - getting multiple email from me.

5/19/2003 

Hi Terry-

This quilt will go with the November 2003 mission to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Angelo Capozzi, M.D. will lead the medical team and will serve as head surgeon.

Thanks so much, Terry.

P.S.  My mother was an avid quilter.  I was born and raised in Paducah, Kentuckywhich has a pretty impressive quilt museum.  My father still lives there and tells me there is annual quilter convention every year.  My mother passed away a few years ago and her quilts are among my most valued possessions.  Each child received several after her passing.  It is truly an extraordinary art form.

All the best to you, and thank you for your generous efforts.

Ken

 Ken McKinney

www.rotaplast.org

8/19/2003

Subject: Rotaplast Quilts

Teresa,

My name is John Crane. I just returned from the Rotaplast Mission to Carupano Venezuala. On this trip we took the quilts which your group created. Every quilt was beautiful.

Each patient came to the operating room with just a light gown. The operating rooms are kept very cool (for sanitary reasons as well as comfort). We would cover each child with a quilt, and then with protective surgical drapes. After the surgery they were taken to the recovery room with the quilt, and would wake with their mother by their side, covered with their new quilt.

I know that every family will cherish your gift, for its beauty and as a reminder of a day when strangers came and made something beautiful. Please express these thanks to every person who helped to create and give these gifts. I can only hope that your generosity and kindness will continue to brighten the lives of children around the world.

Yours in Rotary Service

John Crane

Oakhurst Sierra Rotary Club

Oakhurst, California

8/21/2003

Subject: Thank You For The Quilts

Dear Teresa,

My name is Fina Malava, I am a rotarian volunteer who always works with Rotaplast missions here. I work as a volunteer in the Rotarian Hospital and with children with cancer in my city called Barquisimeto.

I was working in Carupano Rotaplast mission and it was such a nice surprise to have the quilts that you and your friends made for the children who had surgery. I never saw before a gift so wonderful, they gave some toys to the kids, but this really was a good gift for them and the mothers. I tell you, they really enjoyed them and were so happy when we said they will be able to take it at home with them. Besides it was a great gift those quilts kept the kids warm because it was too cold inside the operating room and the recovery room.

We are very grateful with you and your friends for taking care of our children. I hope you continue doing this humanitarian and good job. In two weeks we will have another Rotaplast Mission here in my city Barquisimeto. I hope we can have the same nice surprise. I know it is a hard work to do it in a short time, anyway we appreciate all your kindness with our people in need. Thank you very much in the name of this children and their families, be sure every night they are going to enjoy your gift and will feel all love you put in them.

Affectionately,

Fina

Dear Terry,

I am so sorry to be late with this short note and these first photos. Truly your quilts were one of the highlights of the trip. Being able to give something so wonderful to someone who has absolutely nothing is remarkable. There was one family that had 2 small sons, and we operated on both. In the recovery room the mom told me how lucky they felt getting 2 quilts ! Imagine having 2 special needs children and feeling lucky !!

The recovery room nurses loved choosing just the right quilt for each child. These are my very amateur photos. The "professional" ones will be coming to you on a computer CD within about a month.

Again, thank you seems like such a trivial expression. Your gift truly improved the quality of the trip and the quality of life of 100 families.

Your friend,

Sandie

To: Terry Hodskins

Just want you to see your quilts at work.

I tried to explain the quilts to every patient's parents, and to several VIPs on the Chinese side of our mission, who were presented quilts as a token of our appreciation for their efforts (they also spent many hours and money as there are no real Rotarians in China). China's layout TV network CCTV did a documentary on our mission and I think there is a segment on the quilts.

Thank you for the labor of love and the best people-to-people diplomatic gift ever.

Bill Chiang