Quilt Projects Helps Mother and Daughter Heal

Mother-daugher team:
Carol King and Joyce Ferrie

Saint Therese was the beneficiary of a special quilt project lead by a mother-daughter team. As Mother’s Day approaches, Saint Therese reflects on the project and celebrates its success.

Carol and Calvin King were one of the first tenants to move into Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake in September 2006. Calvin’s health had begun to decline and they decided it was time to move to a low-maintenance home. At Oxbow Lake, Calvin enjoyed cribbage and connecting with friends and Carol was involved in the annual Treasures & Treats sale on campus. Carol was the primary caregiver for her husband until his death in November 2011.

The family struggled with the loss of Calvin. In the midst of her grief, Carol approached her daughter, Joyce Ferrie, with the idea of creating a quilt in his memory. Joyce, who lives out-of-state, thought it was a wonderful idea and that it would be therapeutic for them. The project began and the quilt, titled Healing Together, was created over the next several months.

Joyce, who visits often, and her mom, liked the notion of using the colors decorating the halls of Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake. The team also decided to include the medallion from Saint Therese’s logo.

Carol King stands with the finished quilt.

“While I did all the piecing, it really was a collaborative project between mom and myself,” explained Joyce. “There were shopping trips together for fabric selection, numerous phone conversations about design and emailing of photos to show progress.”

As the project near completion, the mother-daughter team approached Saint Therese. They wanted to find a way to share this special project in memory of Calvin with others. It was decided to donate the quilt to Saint Therese for a raffle, with proceeds benefiting Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake.

Carol and Joyce worked with Saint Therese to set-up the raffle. The quilt was displayed at the Oxbow Lake campus for tenants and visitors to see. Carol stayed busy selling tickets to tenants and staffing a table at Saint Therese’s annual fundraising dinner. Joyce reached out to family and friends.

The raffle drawing took place at the annual Treasures & Treats sale in December. The mother-daughter team was pleased with the over $1,600 that was raised for the activity fund at Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake. Proceeds will be used to enhance several activities on the campus, such as bringing in a special music act for tenants to enjoy.

“The project brought joy to me and Joyce while healing from the loss of a wonderful husband and father,” said Carol. “It meant a lot to have the Oxbow Lake campus involved; Cal and I were happy living at Oxbow Lake. I still enjoy being a part of the community here.”