Recognizing the Mission Quilters for Their Humanitarian Efforts
Floor Speech
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Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I wish to bring to my colleagues' attention, the outstanding work of Mission Quilters which recently completed their 10,000th quilt that will be donated to global communities in need of basic supplies.
Mission Quilters is a group of about 20 volunteers at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Schaumburg, who gather every Thursday morning to stitch quilts. This tradition dates to 1985, when Carol Langseth, the wife of the church's then-pastor, had the goal of creating handmade quilts to provide comfort to those in need around the world. I am very pleased to report that just last week, the group reached a milestone with their 10,000th quilt. These quilts are distributed both locally and to communities in nine countries, through the Lutheran World Relief organization.
Mission Quilters relies on the donations of materials from individual quilters and other organizations. These materials are then cut and used to create a variety of quilts. Volunteers participate in the process by sewing and layering the quilt squares. Working together, they produce at least four quilts per week. In fact, the quilts produced by Mission Quilters could cover 185 football fields and stretch 22,222 yards. The finished quilts are first used to adorn the pews of the Lord of Life Lutheran Church and, after being blessed, are sent to various parts of the world.
For nearly 40 years, Mission Quilters have donated their quilts to countries such as Georgia, Tanzania, Ukraine, Angola, Mali, Guatemala, and the Democratic Republic of Congo Mission Quilters' quilts have also comforted Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as well as in other parts of the world that are affected by war. Locally, they have kept our communities warm, by distributing their quilts through organizations such as North Side Housing and Supportive Services in Chicago, WINGS, and Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for those in need.
The men and women of Mission Quilters embody public service at its best. As their representative in Congress, I am deeply honored to recognize the significant contributions of Mission Quilters. They have helped to bring families together and provided support to those affected by war and natural disasters through their quilting. It is for this impact that I wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the Mission Quilters.
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