Tis' the season of generosity!

Last week, Operation Kid Comfort received two amazing and much-needed donations. As long time members of the Operation Kid Comfort family, we are especially grateful to both Clothworks and Megamat for helping us fulfill our mission To Support the Children of Those Who Support America. We are sure you will be equally impressed with their assistance and products.

Remember that first box of 'colors' you used in kindergarten. Red and orange, green and blue, shiny yellow, purple too . . . Do you long for those bright true colors in your quilts? Well, Kathy York's Urban Landscapes from Clothworks will color your world!

Kathy's colorful fun quilts have thrilled many for some time now. Imagine our joy to hear she has her own line of fabrics loaded with bright colors, fun shapes and patterns! Perfect for our OpKids, we couldn't wait to include these wonderful fabrics in our quilts, and Clothworks sent us six bolts to 'play' with. Our volunteers are working with them now, so check back to see Operation Kid Comfort quilts created from Kathy York's Urban Landscapes.

What is the best mat to cut those fabrics on? A huge 32” X 53” Quilters Rule Megamat, of course!

Back in 2003, Megamat donated Quilters Rule mats and quilting tools to help us launch Operation Kid Comfort. These thick and easy to read mats have stood up to a lot of use from a variety of quilters, novice to experienced. But as you can imagine, with hundreds of volunteers making thousands of quilts, for all these years, we are well past time for replacements. Megamat came to our rescue again with two large mats. If we could get seven years out of our past mats, imagine how long they would last in the home quilting studio?

And this week, we were happily surprised to see Operation Kid Comfort the subject of Jerry’s Artarama blog: The Splatter. Blog writer Theresa Brown of Art Marketing Experts provided a wonderful article about Operation Kid Comfort and its history. Thank you both for highlighting our efforts to your audience.

We thank Clothworks, Megamat and Jerry's Artorama for remembering and honoring our very brave military families. Join us and all the supporters of Operation Kid Comfort in remembering our troops overseas, especially during this holiday season when the separation of parent and child can be especially difficult.

There is no better way to support our troops than to care for their families while they are away.

To donate to Operation Kid Comfort or any of the very special programs of the Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg via PayPal, please visit: https://fortliberty.asymca.org/services/operation-kid-comfort/

Ann Flaherty

Founder, Operation Kid Comfort

Thank You HP

It has been seven years since we first launched Operation Kid Comfort at Fort Bragg. An ongoing program of appreciation to our military families, Operation Kid Comfort quilts and pillows continue to be free of charge to America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service men and women.

Over the years, we've filled thousands of requests for our quilts. With nine photographs printed on fabric incorporated into each quilt, reliable printers are a must for this operation. Additionally, the process is costly.

From day one, Operation Kid Comfort has received the support of Hewlett-Packard Company. Last week, our friends at HP delivered a new HP Photosmart e-All in one Series D110 printer along with replacement ink cartridges to our workshop. In a word --- phenomenal!

Just right for the desktop, our volunteers find this printer the perfect tool to scan and print images for Operation Kid Comfort quilts and pillows. Fabric sheets print with ease and clarity.

All of us at Operation Kid Comfort and the Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg are grateful for the continuous support of HP. As we strive to Serve the Children of Those Who Serve America, and take comfort in knowing we can count on the many volunteers, contributors and corporations such as HP to assist us in that mission.

On behalf of the thousands of children we serve: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Sincerely,

Ann Flaherty

Founder, Operation Kid Comfort

Obama Visits Operation Kid Comfort

Thank you Mr. President!

On behalf of the hundreds of volunteers who make Operation Kid Comfort a success, we appreciate your visit to the ASYMCA Washington, D.C. event in honor of the September 11^th National Day of Service.

Across the country, Operation Kid Comfort volunteers create individual photo-transfer quilts and pillows for America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service men and women. Founded on Make A Difference Day, 2003, more than 7,000 children have been recipients of these very special gifts. And...wow...have we made a difference!

Our 'OpKids' all delight in having a tangible, huggable and washable set of photos to curl up with while their parents are overseas. Our parents are grateful that they will not be forgotten during long deployments. And our volunteers relish the opportunity to support our troops in such a personal and meaningful way.

Thank you President Obama for recognizing this very special program. The many people of Operation Kid Comfort appreciate your visit.

Sincerely,

Ann Flaherty

Founder, Operation Kid Comfort

Comfort! Create! Unite!

Operation Kid Comfort is a FREE program of the Armed Services YMCA that provides photo-transfer quilts and pillows to children of our deployed service men and women. We rely on our supporters and volunteers for continued success. Please contact us at operationkidcomfort@gmail.com for further information.

Please DONATE to help with Operation Kid Comfort.

Photos are courtesy of Greater DC Cares

God Bless America Quilts Support Operation Kid Comfort

In celebration of Veteran's Day and to honor the many military families of the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area, The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) and the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, will host part of the God Bless America Quilt Tour from November 7 -14, 2009. The event will be held in conjunction with the Veteran's Day Parade on November 7^th at the offices of the Downtown Alliance, and the ASYMCA office on Fort Bragg. A total of thirty patriotic quilts from across the USA will be displayed between the two venues.

Available at the exhibits, will be the book Thanking Our Troops: God Bless America Touring Quilts, that include a gallery of patriotic quilts, essays on the many quilt programs that support our military, and instructions to make some of the quilts included in the book. All proceeds will support Operation Kid Comfort, the ASYMCA program that provides free photo-transfer quilts to America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service members. The book can also be ordered through the ASYMCA website at: http://braggasymca.org/shop/index.htm.

During the Veteran's Day festivities on November 7^th, ASYMCA volunteers will be manning the display at the Downtown Alliance from 10 am until 2 pm, demonstrating how the Operation Kid Comfort quilts are made.

With 45 children from Fort Bragg currently waiting for quilts, and more orders arriving daily as deployments increase, Operation Kid Comfort is in need of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, we will have kits with all the necessary components ready to sew at the event, or you may sign up for our free workshops.

Additionally, we will have information on how a child you know can receive a FREE quilt or pillow from Operation Kid Comfort. Quilts are provided to children five and under; pillows are provided to children 6 – 12 years.

As deployments increase, so does demand for the many services that the ASYMCA provides. As you visit the quilts of the the God Bless America Quilt Tour, please take a few moments to learn more about our services and how you can participate. We look forward to seeing you.

Hours of Operation:

Downtown Alliance

222 Hay St, Fayetteville, NC

910-222-3382

www.fayettevillealliance.com

Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm

November 7, 2009/Veteran's Day Parade: 10 am – 2 pm

ASYMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB

Bldg. 2-2411 Jackson St.​

Ft. Bragg, NC

910-436-0500

www.braggasymca.org

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Support the Arts AND Operation Kid Comfort!!

Comfort! Create! Unite!

with

ARTQUILTStransitions

and the

Fayetteville Museum of Art.

Please take this opportunity to support Operation Kid Comfort while enjoying a fine art exhibit comprised of fine art quilts from some of the most talented artists in the field. Fayetteville Museum of Art of Fayetteville, NC will host ARTQUILTStransitions, the seventh annual juried exhibit of the Professional Art Quilters Alliance - South, from September 12 through November 1, 2009, with the Premiere Party on September 11, 2009 from 6-8 pm.

In lieu of the $5 entry free, and to honor the spirit of September 11th, America's National Day of Service, please bring a donation of materials to support Operation Kid Comfort.

Operation Kid Comfort, a free program of the Armed Services YMCA of Fort Bragg/Pope AFB, provides free photo-transfer comfort quilts and pillows to America's Littlest Heroes, the children of our deployed service men and women, as well as an opportunity for the community to unite in support of our military overseas.

Below is a list of suggested materials for donation to Operation Kid Comfort:

1 yard of 100% cotton fabric suitable for children's quilts
1 yard of 100% natural cotton batting
Colorful threads
1 yard 100% cotton bleached muslin
card stock for tags and cards
envelopes
postage to priority shipping of kits to volunteer quilters
Bubble Jet Set solution for HP printers
Freezer paper
HP 564 inkjet cartridges Rotary cutter and/or blades

Operation Kid Comfort is a program of the Armed Services YMCA or Fort Bragg/Pope AFB

www.braggasymca.org 910-436-0500