Do you remember Caleb Willis from Island Batik? If you are a long time follower of the IHAN® blog you may remember THIS POST. What a day I had at Island Batik....definitely on the top of my list of excellent days! Caleb is the President and CEO of Island Batik and from one President and CEO (ROFL) to another, I think we hit it off. I was most impressed that he didn't throw me out when he found me napping in the heavenly batik fabrics.
Very Presidential of me isn't it? Now you know why I'll never be invited to the White House!
Caleb had an excellent idea to help veterans after hearing stories from family and friends who had returned from the Service. He was committed to helping but wasn't sure if one company could do enough to make a difference. Caleb knew the wonderful spirit of the quilting industry and he approached some other fantastic people (see list of other sponsors here) and shared his idea. That is how Quilted In Honor was "born". Now Island Batik helps to raise funds and awareness along with Operation Homefront.
How many of you know about Operation Homefront? I didn't really know much until SewCalGal hosted a fundraiser for them last year. Once I began learning more about what Operation Homefront does, I decided to hop on board and I contributed to SewCalGal's fundraising efforts. For those of you who don't know, Operation Homefront
provides assistance to military families in their times of need. Can
you imagine serving your country, being away from your family and
possibly being in combat only to arrive home and find yourself having
difficult times? I see it as a project where we can help support those who have given their time, energy and many times their lives by serving in the US Military.
Caleb Willis, Adam Jennings Medically Retired from the US Marine Corps. and "Lady Eleanor"
Photo Credits Click Here
Lady Eleanor presented Adam Jennings with a quilt that she designed.. I don't think anyone was surprised to see that Lady Eleanor was involved...she is one kind, sweet and amazing Lady.
There are so many ways you can get involved. Here are few ideas to consider:
You can purchase Quilted In Honor products and a portion of the sales price will go to Military Families being supported by Operation Homefront.
If you purchase the Aurifil Quilted In Honor Thread Collections from IHAN® 90% or $54.00 of the profit will be donated back to Operation Homefront.
Make and donate a quilt. There are several free patterns on the Island Batik website. Just CLICK HERE to see them.
If you want more ideas about how you can get involved with Operation Homefront, you can CLICK HERE.
That is how Caleb's great idea turned into the Quilted In Honor project. Given Quilters are some of the very best people I've ever met in my life...none of this is surprising.....it is Wonderful though isn't it?
Smiles,
Kelly
