Ten years ago, Linda Ayre realized that thousands of fabric samples were headed to a landfill. Devastated by this fact, Linda tried to make a difference, not only for Mother Earth, but for sick children all over the world by creating Quilts for Kids. The concept: encourage quilters everywhere to volunteer to make hand-made quilts, and send the volunteers custom “quilt kits” with the saved fabric samples. Since then, Quilts for Kids has made tens of thousands of quilts and given them to sick children in countries worldwide.

According to the charity’s website, “Quilts for Kids, Inc. transforms discontinued, unwanted and other fabrics into quilts that comfort children in need. These children are fighting a life battle with cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses. We also gift to children of abuse. Our goal is to link design centers and other fabric sources nationwide to their communities, so that children in need in those regions may be served.”

Last year, Downy Fabric Softener partnered with Quilts for Kids in an effort to increase the availability of fabric and the number of quilts made and donated. In 2009, Downy helped to deliver several thousand quilts through its “Downy Touch of Comfort Program.” This year, the folks at Downy have decided to launch an even bigger campaign to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and have recently pledged to deliver 10,000 more quilts to sick children.

The Downy Touch of Comfort Program is the product’s first-ever large-scale cause marketing program. "Over the past 50 years Downy has helped bring comfort into the homes of many families," said Mary Pochobradsky, Downy Marketing Director. "With the introduction of our Downy Touch of Comfort Program last year, we found a way to help bring the comforts of home to hospitalized children; now we're excited to extend the reach and impact even further."

Folks with quilting talents who would like to donate their time by making quilts can contact Quilts for Kids and request a quilt kit. Even if you don’t how to quilt, (like me, I’m sad to say), you can make a difference by purchasing specially marked bottles of Downy Fabric Softener, with five cents of every purchase going directly to Quilts for Kids.

Quilts for Kids
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