Eleven of the 13 recipients of the 2019 Quilts of Valor made by the Lakeland Quilt Club attended the ceremony at the North Webster American Legion Post 253 Monday, Nov. 11. Shown in no order are James Anderson, Larry Burkhart, Phillip Hunter, Mark Dillon, Philip Smith, Thomas Sorg, Jerry Thomas, Elyse Hardin, Curtis Shock, Larry Shock and Tom Maze.

NORTH WEBSTER — Thirteen veterans of the United States military and members of the North Webster Herbert Kuhn American Legion Post 253 received Quilts of Valor made by members of the Lakeland Quilt Club, which meets twice each month at the Tippecanoe Township Building, North Webster.

In a moving ceremony conducted by Lana Dowell, from the quilt club, 11 men and two women were given beautifully made, patriotic quilts. Each was as different as the veterans are and each was an outstanding work of art. This is the second year the quilts have been given by the club to Legion members.

A national movement, the mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. “When I became president of the quilt club last year, this was a project I was committed to beginning,” explained Dowell. When complimented on the amount of work that went into each creation, one of the quilt club members remarked, “But it is fun to us, not work.”

The ceremony and the quilts were appreciated by the veterans and their families and made a center point for the Veterans Day festivities at the Legion. They included lunch featuring ham and beans and other items, entertainment by singer Russ Chandler, and participation in programs at cemeteries and schools.

The list of those getting the guilts and the artist who made them are Larry Burkhart by Beth Huber, Berniece Wiggs by Laura Greig, Chuck Brower by Linda Felger, Tom Maze by Lynda Sanner. Others were Larry Shock by Sandy Seylor, Curtis Shock by Rhonda Wolff, Elyse Hardin by Annita Murfin, Jerry Thomas by Lana Dowell, and Thomas Sorg by Linda Greene. Final recipients were Mark Dillon by Sharman Neel, Phillip Hunter by Beckie Hansen, Philip Smith by Jane Leedy, and James Anderson by Kim Hine.