PAUSED.....but not forgotten

 During our extended pause in Wrap-A-Smile quilt production, we have not forgotten the thousands of children around the world who are waiting….hoping….for the gift of corrective facial surgery when medical missions start again.  

The worldwide incidence of cleft lip and cleft palate occurrence is estimated to be 1 in every 700 births.  This number may seem hard to believe as we in the US will rarely see an untreated, or poorly treated, cleft.  But thousands of children around the world are not so lucky.  An untreated cleft leads to malnutrition, speech problems and social isolation.  How amazing that an initial hour and a half surgery, by a volunteer medical team, can truly transform a life. 

A new smile by Alliance for Smiles in Myanmar

Rotaplast International and Alliance for Smiles, the two organizations who receive most of our WAS quilts, have recently posted updates on their websites:

https://rotaplast.org/2021/06/rotaplast-covid-update-june-2021/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gqnWtzWSc

Even though Wrap-A-Smile will continue our pause and not actively collect quilts, our network of generous quilters still exists and is sharing love, warmth and smiles with quilts. We have enjoyed hearing stories from longtime WAS contributors such as Kim and Linda's group in upstate New York.  During the pandemic they have donated their quilted creations to a pregnancy crisis center, a foster care program and a mothers' support group.

Kwiltz4Kids in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, under Colleen's leadership has shared their quilted creations with organizations that support women in crises, groups that promote raising healthy children and their quilts are brightening the rooms of some residents in assisted-living. 

Members of the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild, which officially sponsors both Wrap-A-Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders, are currently directing their efforts towards QBB until we can lift our pause. You can read more about their good works here:

https://quiltsbeyondborders.wordpress.com

These are just a few examples of ways our quilters have kept busy helping others during our pause.  Please be assured that ALL quilts that were previously delivered to Rotaplast and Alliance for Smiles are still being held pending the resumption of overseas missions.

It’s been quite a year and a half!  We are still in uncharted territory, but heartened to hear of medical volunteers who have been vaccinated and who are eager to continue changing lives. And the generosity of quilters never ceases to amaze us!! Goodness abounds and the world continues to be comforted and brightened, one quilt at a time.

Thank you for staying in touch with us.  We can’t wait to say “Send us more quilts”!!

~Ann and Paige 

Rotaplast at work in Guatemala

Ann Demeranville

WAS Executive Director

quilts7780@gmail.com

Paige Curtis

WAS Northeast Regional Coordinator

wrapasmilene@gmail.com