Giving with a Heart

by Lyndy Yossundharakul, summer intern

What began two years ago as a single quilt, lovingly stitched by CNRC women to honor African history, has inspired the group to once again quilt education and dedication into a work of art.

“We’ve developed a special bond through working on these quilts, and we’ve grown into better friends outside the workplace,” said Cynthia Boutte, a founding member of the group.

Giving with a Heart is the second quilt by the CNRC Women of Color Quilters, whose members include Boutte, Pamela Burns, Margie Gaines, Andrea Dotting-Jones, Elizabeth Pollard, and Betty Walker. The quilt features the CNRC’s original mother and child logo and is dedicated to the 25,000 plus volunteers who have participated in and helped with research at the CNRC over the past 25 years.

“When the CNRC first opened, most of the research was on infants and nursing mothers, which is what the logo represented. Yet, we also wanted the quilt to encompass everything the Center is about today. The quilt promotes children's nutrition and is a message to the community about what we endorse,” Boutte said.

The mother and child image also inspired the quilt’s Country Folk Art design, a more traditional theme than that of their first quilt, Royal Elegance, which featured a contemporary motif.

“When we decided to use the mother and child logo, we basically knew what colors we would use for the quilt. We got together for a meeting, and although we didn’t plan it, all the fabrics we brought matched perfectly, and everything came together. The fabrics are really what led to the quilt's design,” Boutte said.

According to Boutte, response to the group's first quilt, Royal Elegance, was overwhelming. The women received requests to display the quilt, which was dedicated to children who have died of AIDS, at various colleges and medical centers around Texas, as well as at several HISD, Fort Bend, and Galena Park schools during Black History month to honor African heritage.

“When we made our first quilt, we didn’t expect it to have such a big impact on the community. But it has become a great educational tool," Boutte said.

"We did, however, want our second quilt to make a big impact, because it’s dedicated to the many volunteers who give so much and have never been recognized. That’s why our second quilt is so much larger.”

Like the size of the quilts, the WOC Quilters group continues to grow. With Giving with a Heart came new member Pamela Burns, a research coordinator who works with Dr. William Wong.

“I think the idea of honoring the volunteers that work with premature babies really moved Pam to join our group. She has a lot of experience working with preemies and she truly knows how much time and effort go into the research," Boutte said. The WOC Quilters have already planned their next project, a Companion Volunteer Quilt for the CNRC's Metabolic Research Unit (MRU). They also plan a Patriot Quilt honoring Veteran’s Day, which they will work on with the nurses at the V.A. Hospital and other CNRC staff.

Meanwhile, the CNRC’s quilting community continues to grow; the Latin American women’s group has been inspired to create their own theme quilt.