The president of the young women’s group, Cassie Nelson, said the materials for the quilts were purchased on Saipan, sent to Salt Lake City, Utaha where they were tied and bound and returned here for the final touches.
She said their group, which aims to serve the community, met in September last year and decided to donate quilts to the hospital.
“We were looking for a humanitarian project, and the near-completion of the new dialysis center was an inspiration,” Nelson said.
A hemodialysis center maintains a very low temperature to keep the area germ-free, but this can also be very cold and difficult for the patients, she added.
“We came up with the idea of donating lap quilts as our means of adding comfort to the dialysis patients and for thanking the nurses and doctors for their hard work and devotion,” Nelson said.
“Each quilt is made from a different aloha fabric and reflects different island themes,” she added.
Nelson said the quilts are a joint effort of two groups of women separated by the Pacific Ocean.
Helping them in the project was another woman’s group in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“The young women of Mill Creek Ward in Salt Lake City hand tied the quilts, sent it back to Saipan so we could sew the donation labels and bound the edges,” Nelson said.
Jac Wilde Pate, a former missionary who served on Saipan from 1996 to 1997, served as their connection to the Mill Creek Ward.
“Pate has a special place in her heart for Saipan, so when she was approached about the possibility of working together to benefit the people of Saipan, she was all for it,” Nelson said.
She said they’re hoping that the hemodialysis center patients will enjoy using the lap quilts.
