Spring Blossoming Happiness! May 2026

I had the most delightful day last week.  On a warm afternoon bursting with flowers and the potential of all the good things that come with spring, I received a visit from Kim Valone, one of the leaders of the quilting group from Zion United Methodist Church in New York State.  She and her husband were coming through Exeter on their way to a oceanside vacation and they stopped by with 83 quilts for Wrap-A-Smile.  

Kim and Paige showing off three of the 83 beauties!

12 of the quilts by Zion United Methodist

Kim's group, composed of 12 or so women, meets once a month for a pinning session and then get to work using fabrics from their significant stash, collected from craft thrift stores (I need to find one of those!), donations from quilters and some bargain shopping.  This small group of dedicated women has produced almost 2700 quilts in the 21 years they have been together and Wrap-A-Smile has been one of the lucky beneficiaries.  

To fund their mission, they make over 25 different items that they sell at craft shows in the fall. That raises the money for fabric, thread, batting and shipping. We named our group a few years ago for the tags we put on the items we sell: Beacon of Hope Quilts. Thanks to our sales, we are able to make and donate 150-200 quilts every year and the vast majority of them go to WAS! 

Enjoy the photos everyone and Zion United Methodist quilters, THANK YOU FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS.

Paige Curtis

NE Coordinator