Helping Others Using Your Creative Gifts

Written by Mary Nelson Zadrozny
© 2004-2008 Just Imagine Design & Publicatons

So far I have yet to meet a creative person who didn't have a big heart too. There are many ways to help others with your talents and so often these things don't take much time. Plus you probably already have all or most of the supplies in your stash already.

Don't have time but still want to help out? Many of these organizations can use donations of supplies. Don't forget your local animal shelters too; many of them have a continual need for soft blankets for the animals, cage covers, etc. Carefully check the specific guidelines for a project before starting. Completing a project they can really use is the best way for you to help out. Visit Handcrafting With Love which has some excellent tips when making items for charity.

Also you may want to check out a new book by Jake Finch; "Comfort Quilts from the Heart: 12 Quick Projects to Take Care of Others" featuring thoughtful projects for those who need a helping hand.

Organizations that need your special skills: http://uuac-sherborn.org/quilt.html The Unitarian Universalist Area Church in Sherborn, MA provides comfort through the gift of quilts to women undergoing chemotherapy and children facing hardship. www.aidsquilt.org AIDS Memorial Quilt Project www.alzquilts.org Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative; Quilt Exhibit and Silent Auction to raise funds and awareness of Alzheimer's Disease. www.annsfabricsandcrafts.com/butterfly.html Butterfly Quilt Project provides quilts of hope & comfort to the children of The Shriners Burn Hospital and the Springfield Orthropedic Hospitals of Mass. www.artistshelpingchildren.org/ Artists Helping Children; part of the National Heritage Foundation. Many ways to help sick and needy children by donating murals, toys, supplies, etc. www.binkypatrol.org Binky Patrol makes blankets for children and teens in need of comfort across the country. Blankets can be sewn, knitted, crocheted or quilted. www.blanketsoflove.ca The Blankets of Love Foundation for Mental Health is a Canadian charitable organization that provides quilts to patients who are in hospitals across Canada for the treatment of a mental illness. www.chemohatpatterns.com Chemo Hat Sewing Patterns www.curechief.com Fabric donations and volunteers needed to create scarves for adults and children with cancer. www.dailyguideposts.com/help/knitforkids.asp Knit or Crochet Sweaters for Children www.firehousequilts.org Firehouse Quilts of Colorado makes quilts for fire departments, battered women's shelters and Denver Rescue Mission. www.geocities.com/crochet4seniorcitizens/1.html Crochet afghans for wheelchair-bound senior citizens www.headhuggers.org Knit, sew or crochet caps for people going through chemo, brain surgery, burns, etc. www.morethanwarmth.org/ Children making quilts for other children and sent to countries like Afghanistan, Zambia, Iraq, Mexico and several others. More Than Warmth is an educational project for students of all ages to learn about world cultures. It fosters understanding, knowledge, and compassion between cultures through nonviolent, nonpolitical, and nonreligious means. www.geocities.com/niftyfiftyquilters/index.html Nifty Fifty Quilters participate in 50 state block exchanges while making Breast Cancer charity quilts. www.operationkidcomfort.blogspot.com Operation Kid Comfort creates comfort quilts and pillows for children of deployed service men and women. www.northcott.net/index.cfm?action=questForCure and www.thequilt.com "Quest for a Cure" Block Challenge to in support of Breast Cancer research. www.prayerquilt.org Prayers & Squares is an interfaith outreach ministry that combines the gift of prayer with the gift of a hand-tied quilt. www.projectlinus.org Quilts made for children of all ages in need. www.qovf.org Quilting Honor and Comfort for our Wounded Troops; The mission of the QOV Foundation is to cover ALL combat wounded servicemembers whether physical or psychological with wartime quilts called Quilts of Valor (QOVs). www.quilts4cancer.org Quilts made for adults and children with cancer. www.quiltsfromcaringhands.com Quilts from Caring Hands (QCH) makes and distributes quilts at no charge to Oregon's children-at-risk: the homeless, those in foster care, drug addicted, HIV positive, visually impaired, abused, as well as infants of teen mothers. www.seeitourway.org/Archives/2008/TactileQuilts.html Foundation for Blind Children can use donations of fabric, batting, pillow stuffing and quilts for their Tactile/Touch Quilt Project. www.shawlministry.com Prayer Shawls Ministry; knit or crochet shawls to send to those in need of comfort. www.thecradleproject.org/ Cradles made by artists from recycled materials. They are hoping to fill an abandoned warehouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico with 1,000 cradles. The Cradle Project is an art installation designed to represent the plight of the estimated 48 million children who have been orphaned by disease and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Their Mission is to promote awareness and raise financial support to help feed, shelter, and educate these children. www.virginiaspiegel.com/NewFiles/ACSFundraiser.html Fiber artists can help raise funds for the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. www.warmupamerica.com Make a small portion of an afghan or a full size one which will be distributed to various agencies providing services to the homeless, battered womens shelters, and people in need. www.wraptheminlove.org Quilts made for needy children around the world. www.zne-store.citymax.com/page/page/4048995.htm Live Pink Program - Artists creating cards for those impacted by breast cancer. If you would like your organization listed here, just drop me a line with your web site address and a brief description of your particular project.

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