Written by Olivia McCray |
Photos by Victoria Le |

On Saturday, January 31st, 2019, the Quilts of Valor Foundation celebrated national Sew Day at the Madison American Legion Hall. Quilts of Valor is an organization run by volunteers who create custom handmade quilts for veterans and active duty military members. The quilts are then presented to the veterans in an event known as a covering ceremony, in which the volunteer who created the quilt personally gifts it to the recipient.

Former Morgan School library media specialist and Clinton resident Linda Gworek recently became involved with Quilts of Valor through a friend, Nancy Burns. Mrs. Gworek is a huge supporter of what the Quilts of Valor stand for and what they are doing to help our veterans: “The quilts are meant to be used by the veterans as a thank you for their service and can even provide comfort for those suffering from PTSD,” she explained. Each quilt includes the name of the recipient, the dates he or she served our country, and the name of the volunteer who made it.

Nancy Burns was a key force in guaranteeing the success of the event. Nancy is a quilt master for the Old Saybrook Piecemakers—a local group within the Connecticut Quilts of Valor. To read more about Nancy and how she is involved with this organization check out this article: Making Quilts to Warm Veteran’s Hearts.

Many Morgan students attended the Sew Day in Madison including Juniors Sara Buzzeo, Sarah Kuever, and Emma Iovene and freshman Victoria Le. Sara Buzzeo helped the volunteers sew the quilts while Emma and Sarah Kuever helped iron the top layer of the quilts. Sara Buzzeo enjoyed the experience explaining, “I learned life skills with sewing and learned the process of quilt making”. Emma also appreciated the day stating, “It was interesting to see how the ladies brought their husbands and were able to help with the quilt making process.”

Sara, Sarah, and Emma are members of Morgan’s Interact Club whose motto is “Service Above Self”, which perfectly describes the goal of Quilts for Valor. Mrs. Gworek used to be the head of the Interact club when she was working at Morgan.

The next Sew Day is taking place on March 23, 2019, and any Morgan students are welcome to attend.