Written by: Hannah Johnson
Ooltewah’s Quilts of Valor (QOV) chapter has awarded 14 quilts to veterans in the community this month as a way to honor and thank them for their service.
According to the QOV website, the movement started in 2003 when a woman named Catherine Roberts, whose son was serving in Iraq at the time, had a dream about a soldier sitting alone, afraid and depressed. However, after being wrapped in a quilt, the soldier’s entire demeanor changed into one full of hope. Roberts decided to start a national organization gifting quilts to veterans as a method of healing.
Judi Davis, a resident of Greenbriar Cove, an Ooltewah senior living community, and nine other local ladies gathered together and joined the QOV movement, creating a chapter in the area. According to the organization’s newsletter, they call themselves the QOV Belles.
“I was trying to figure out what to do to help the community or something that would make me happy. I love to sew and this just fits right in,” said Davis.
Davis said the group of ladies meet up every couple of weeks. They have been making quilts since October 2022 and awarded four quilts to residents of Morning Pointe, an assisted living community in Greenbriar Cove, in April 2023, five to veterans in Greenbriar Cove in June, eight to veterans in Morning Pointe on Veterans Day at the Collegedale Memorial Park and six to veterans living at Greenbriar Cove on Nov. 14.
The group plans to expand to other local senior living areas, such as Garden Plaza of Greenbriar Cove. The program is completely donation based and has no specific guidelines or qualifications for who receives the quilts. One quilt takes 30-40 hours and costs at leasts $100.
“I knew a veteran very well, and we square-danced together a lot. He brought the quilt that had been given to him to the square dance, and he spread it out, and he was just so proud of it,” said Davis.
She said the QOV Belles’ mission is to honor and serve the veterans, specifically the ones that were neglected. She said soldiers that came back from Vietnam were not acknowledged because it was a war that should have never happened. Many people were mad at the soldiers, even though it was not their fault.
“They were spit upon and mistreated, rather than World War I or II soldiers that came back with honors. The Korean War was considered a silent war; they weren’t given much recognition, but they were not necessarily frowned upon,” said Davis.
Davis believes that the QOV Belles have made a positive impact. She finds it so heartening to award something to a veteran and see tears in their eyes. She mentioned how the majority of veterans most likely still have nightmares. Many men in battle will experience the death of another soldier next to them, and they have to sit there and wonder, ‘Why God, why did you save my life?’ she said.
“We are very proud to have this many veterans within our neighborhood,” said Davis.
