The four-decade-old Central Carleton Nursing Home Quilters donate funds to ambitious health-care initiative
Each Thursday, the Central Carleton Nursing Home Quilters women gather upstairs at the Walter Chestnut Public Library in Hartland to work on their latest quilting project.
On Thursday, Aug. 3, the quilters’ positive efforts stretched beyond the quilt upon which they worked to a vital Upper Valley health-care project.
On behalf of the dozens of other members over the past four decades, the four quilters supported the Upper River Valley Hospital Foundation’s ongoing MRI project.
Treasure Carolyn Swim, accompanied by Judy Boyd, Beverley Ketch and Marlene Everett-Reid, presented $2,852.43 to the foundation to support its $3 million project to permanently install a state-of-the-art MRI at the URVH.
URVHF co-chair Betty Lou Craig, board member Susan Lockhart and director of hospital operations Sherry Leech visited the historic downtown Hartland library to accept the donation.
Craig noted the quilters’ generosity demonstrates that any individual or group, regardless of size or means, can help the foundation achieve its lofty goal.
While the foundation’s ambitious MRI project immediately gained a gigantic boost with a $1.4 million donation from a Speerville family and more than $268,000 in donations from the Woodstock Rotary Club, Craig explained the combined total of smaller gifts would push the project to its goal.
She said donations to the MRI project already surpassed the $2.2 million mark and is on its way to $2.3 million.
“We’re less than a million away,” Craig said.
She said the foundation hopes to reach its $ 3 million goal by Thanksgiving.
“That would be a lovely time to meet our goal,” Craig said.
Swim said the Central Carleton Nursing Home Quilters has a long history of raising funds, noting the group invested more than $58,000 towards equipment and services for the Hartland-based manor.
Boyd said Eloise Craig started the quilting club in 1982, providing a home and common cause for scores of quilting enthusiasts.
She said the quilters raised money in various ways, including charging a fee to hand-quilt items for individuals.
She said the donation to the MRI project represents funds remaining in the quilting club’s account as they disband the current association.
Boyd explained the donation represents the many quilters who stitched together over the past four decades.
The URVHF’s completed project will see the new state-of-the-art 1.5 Tesla magnet housed in a new modular unit attached to the Waterville hospital.
Lockhart and Leech explained the new permanent MRI, replacing an aging mobile unit shared with Campbellton, would accommodate patients the old unit couldn’t, including many children, people with pacemakers, and bariatric patients.
Lockhart explained the new unit would eliminate patients traveling to Saint John, Fredericton or Moncton.
Leech said the new MRI’s ability to scan eight to 12 patients daily would significantly reduce wait times.
Anyone seeking more information on how to support the project should visit the URVHF website at www.urvhfoundation.com
