Wrap A Smile Quilts

Pictures tell a story in all languages.  Thanks to the Concord Piecemakers this selection of quilts will engage the imaginations of our little patients. Panels and "I-Spy" quilts can be very fun for patients.  The non-medical volunteers who help to entertain the children often do not speak the local language, but pictures accompanied by sound effects and facial expressions can still communicate.  Having had the joy of participating on a Rotaplast mission I can attest to the fun and goodwill that can be shared through smiles and imitation. I have no doubt that the quilters who created these "stories" had a smile on their face as they stitched. Thank you again to the Piecemakers of Concord, MA.

The coast of Maine is a beautiful environment on most days, but lately we've had our share of snow, ice, rain, wind......with grey skies that have seemed rather dismal.  Just when I was starting to feel eager for color and new energy I opened two bags of quilts from the Concord Piecemakers. And OH MY GOODNESS....eye candy galore!  Who wouldn't feel uplifted by these works of art which the Concord, MA, group donated via friend Elana S.  Here is a sampling of their quilts:  And last but not least, Wrap-A-Smile acquired this one yesterday.  What a fun combination of strings and aboriginal prints. made by Pat A of Scrapbaggers Guild in Unity/Troy, Maine Thank you Elana, Pat, the Concord Piecemakers and all our quilting friends who are keeping our cleft patients wrapped in your love.  Every stitch you take contributes to their comfort.  I'm feeling grateful (and I forgot all about the grey skies!).

2nd year students at University of New England Dental School This group of future dentists at University of New England in Maine found time to have a quilting party for Wrap-A-Smile.  And look what they accomplished! Led by young Rotarian Katelyn Pierson they produced a happy pile of quilts to be shared with our Rotaplast patients. Katelyn is a graduate of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening) and is very active with the Scarborough, Maine, Rotary Club.  As a future dentist she states "this touches my profession greatly and is helping me find the link between my long connection to Rotary and my fellow dental students."  After learning about Wrap-A-Smile and Rotaplast she presented the quilting workshop idea to her classmates and to her Rotary club which contributed financially for the materials involved. Quoting from the January D7780 Rotary District Newsletter: "The Scarborough Rotary would like to thank Katelyn Pierson for her leadership and ...

The current blog post by Rotaplast in India has many pictures of our quilts in action.  There are patients of a variety of ages, cuddled under WAS quilts. What a joy to see!  Please share with this blog if you see a quilt that you made, or helped with.  The historian also wrote a really nice description of how the medical teams and volunteers enjoy the process of distributing the quilts.  Thank you to ALL who continue to make this international goodwill project possible. https://rotaplast.org/2020/01/wrap-a-smile-providing-color-comfort-to-patients-and-families/