The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan

There’s an expression, “One who sleeps under a quilt is comforted by love.” Many veterans and babies at risk experience that love thanks to the skills of several ladies who meet in Peru and Dannemora. The quilters include Lucy St Pierre, Kathy Santor, Starr Perez, Linda Gebo, Nancy Tyrell, Mary Laura Barber, Edna Aiken, Barbara Stadnicki, Linda Mott, Cheryl Weber, Dianne Rodgers, Lynn Bushey and Lyn Duffy.

Lucy St. Pierre commented,” A few days ago, we completed five lap-sized quilts that we sent to the Quilts of Valor, a movement of over 10,000 volunteers, that will award them to service members or veterans touched by war. In addition, six quilts are being given to the Peru Disabled American Veterans Chapter for presentation to disabled veterans in this area.” 

Comforting babies at risk is a continuing undertaking by the quilters. Each year, the ladies quilt 200 baby-sized quilts for the Temple University Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Philadelphia, PA. Lucy explained, “The NICU gives those quilts to babies who have been affected by a parent’s drug abuse. They’re very fragile babies.” 

The women who meet in Peru refer to themselves as the “close-enough” quilters. Once a month, several of them travel to the Methodist Church in Dannemora to combine their talents with a group of women who call themselves the “church sewers.” 

A person extending love to others almost always experiences love in return. Lynn Bushey summed up the feelings of several of the women saying, “I enjoy the fellowship. Everyone is so loving and eager to assist each other in learning new quilting techniques. Each amazing woman has a heart of love for others and is very unselfish with their time and abilities to create loving treasures for other people. Our bond as a group is like the threads in our quilts…. Tightly stitched together.”

It’s evident that the “close-enough” quilters and the “church sewers” are being comforted by the same love that their quilts bring to others.