“Unwrapping them is like opening Christmas or birthday presents!” Nancy Riley laughs as she shares the joy of volunteering to help process and catalog quilts for the annual Quilt Auction. “I get a deep-down good feeling in helping with the quilt cataloging. I love seeing the quilts as they come into the camp.”
Quilts start arriving on June 1, and a team of four ladies spend eight weeks cataloging them—more than 500 quilts in all.
“It is like our private quilt show when we open each quilt and admire each and every design. You should hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ the quilts bring out,” Shirley Splittgerber said. “I have been doing this for over 12 years and look forward to helping again this year. Whatever I can do to make sure all children can come to camp is important for me to do.”
Inez Petrie agrees, “A successful camping experience for young people doesn’t happen by chance.”
Each year the Quilt Auction provides vital funding for camp scholarships. The event helps NLOM continue to make the promise not to turn away any child for financial reasons. In addition, each camper is subsidized more than $300.
“In the end, the boys and girls who attend this wonderful camp are the real winners and much of it is made possible by the giving and receiving of a handmade quilt,” Jan Fuglsang adds.
The 33rd annual Quilt Auction will be July 31 at Carol Joy Holling Camp.
New this year, the silent auction will be online. Find quilt donation instructions, preview quilts, and view the event schedule at CJHCenter.org/quilt-auction.
