Hospital Using Quilt As Fund Raiser

The Auxiliary at St. John Medical Center has produced a quilt that is made of pieces of fabric contributed from all departments of the hospital.  The News On 6's Rick Wells reports the quilt is a labor of love, and a fund raiser, which the Auxiliary hopes will someday save lives.

Marilyn Connor is a volunteer with the St. John Auxiliary. She works the flower desk, delivering flowers and gifts to patients throughout the hospital.

Connor is a master quilter; she's made hundreds, including one that hangs in the main lobby of St. John Medical Center.

They call it the "Colors That Care Quilt," the color pieces in the quilt are from hospital employee's uniforms.

Purple for the NICU nurses and pink of course for the Auxiliary.

"It started out as a conversation over lunch about a year ago," said Lauri Thomas.

Then they put out a call for uniforms and uniform pieces. The response was overwhelming.

"I put it together on the floor, cleared out the dining room furniture," said Connor.

Five hundred hours and hundreds of needle sticks later she produced the 10 feet-by-10 feet king sized quilt.

The project drew lots of interest around St. John.  Departments not directly involved in patient care offered up logos, patches and pockets.

"The engineers were the best.  I wouldn't want to sleep with those gauges there, but I love the pocket and pocket protector," said Thomas.

The quilt with matching pillow cover is a fund raiser to help to fund the Auxiliary's commitment to buy seven digital mammography machines, which will offer life saving early detection of breast cancer for years to come.

The Auxiliary is selling tickets for a chance to win the quilt both at the hospital and on-line.