CNRC Quilterst
Honor Volunteers
Two
years ago a handful of talented women calling themselves
the CNRC Women of Color (WOC) Quilters honored their
African heritage with a quilt. Called “Royal
Elegance,” the
quilt was dedicated to children who died of AIDS.
"When we made our first quilt, we didn't expect
it to have such a big impact on the community, but
it became a great educational tool,” said WOC Quilters
founding member and CNRC Patient Services
Coordinator Cynthia Boutte. "W we
received requests to display the quilt from schools,
colleges, and medical centers around Texas."
That experience inspired the WOC Quilters to once
again stitch education, dedication, and friendship
into a work of art called “Giving
with a Heart.” This newest quilt features the CNRC's
original mother and child logo and is dedicated
to the more than 25,000 volunteers who have participated
in and helped with research at the CNRC over the past
25 years.
According to Boutte, when the CNRC first opened,
most of the research was on infants and nursing mothers,
which is what the logo on the quilt represented. Yet,
the WOC 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,” she
said.
Like the number of their quilts, the group's membership
continues to grow. Research coordinator Pamela Burns
joined original WOC Quilters Boutte, Food Service
Supervisor Margie Gaines, Research Nurse Andrea Dotting-Jones,
Licensed Nurse Elizabeth Pollard, and Registered Nurse
Betty Walkerin creating Giving with a Heart.
“I think the idea of honoring CNRC volunteers really
moved Pam to join our group. She has a lot of experience
working with infants and truly knows how much time
and effort goes into the research," Boutte said.
Meanwhile, the CNRC's quilting community continues
to expand: the Latin American women's group has been
inspired to create their own theme quilt.
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