Camp Skylark will once again be able to send its campers home with quilts thanks to the generosity of the Hope Quilters.
"Having these beautiful, creative, works, we'll be able to send off the children with something to remember their time at Camp Skylark," said Mary Norman, the manager for the Fraser Canyon Hospice Society. "When children are grieving a death, it can be a very hard situation. And a quilt can be something for them to wrap themselves in, to comfort them. It's very touching. So, I'm very grateful by your hard work and dedication that you provide in our community. And that you provide comfort to people in hospice.
The quilters presented Norman with 25 quilts and pillow cases Wednesday morning (March 19) at the Canyon Golden Agers Society building. Each item was handcrafted by a member of the group and revolved around themes of nature and dazzling colour palettes. The pillowcases and quilts will be going to the campers of Camp Skylark and each child will be able to take a quilt home with them.
This year's camp will take place on April 26.
Created in 2005 in by the hospice, Camp Skylark is an annual, weekend-long bereavement camp for children ages 7-12 who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Hospice volunteers and staff created the camp as a way to help grieving children. Many of the volunteers, some who have experienced grieve and loss in their own lives, travel from all over B.C. to be part of the camp.
Norman said she first volunteered at Skylark 10 years ago, at the start of her career with the hospice, and the experience was something she'll never forget.
"It was just the most memorable experience of children healing themselves as well," Norman said. "Sharing their stories and sharing their mementos — their memories (of their loved ones). And its an opportunity to let them know that they aren't the only ones going through this. That there are other children going through this too."
Founded in 1996, the Hope Quilters is a club dedicated to the craft of quilting or creating beautiful works of art and stories through the use of fabric. The club is always looking for new members, both experienced and inexperienced, to join them, especially when it comes to their charity work; in addition to the hospice society and Camp Skylark, the club has previously donated to Hope Search and Rescue, Canadian Red Cross, Fraser Canyon Hospital auxiliary, Fraser Canyon Hospice Society, Hope/Boston Bar Victim Services, and the Cedar Strong Prevention & Intervention Society.
