Hello there, Continuing with yesterday's theme of crafting for a good cause, today I'd like to share some inspiring words and pictures with you. Sharon Watson of Wool 'n' Things, a quilting and yarn shop on Manitoulin Island, wrote in to tell me about a great fund-raising event she sponsored last weekend. Here's some of what she wrote:

"The Quilt is a registered charitable organization dedicated to proving emotional and physical support to cancer survivors and their loved ones. (Not just breast cancer, as it was in the beginning about 11 years ago).

I issued a challenge last year to my customers here at Wool 'n' Things, on Manitoulin Island, to make a 12-inch quilt block for this cancer fundraising project.

[caption id="attachment_78" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Myra and Sharon with the finished quilt (from www.woolnthings.org)."] [/caption] We had such a good response that we decided to have our own 30 hour marathon for The Quilt in order to raise more funds for this worthy cause. [caption id="attachment_77" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Quilters of all ages got in on the fun."] [/caption] Early in the spring we gathered teams of 6-10 quilters that would donate 3 hours of their time to hand quilt and seek pledges from family and friends. In the end we had 10 teams and 65 quilters registered to help out.

[caption id="attachment_75" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sharing a laugh."] [/caption] We started at 6am Friday May 22nd and worked through until midnight, continuing for another 12 hours on Saturday May 23rd. Besides having fun dressing up in various attire, our quilters were pampered with gifts, refreshments and a souvenir t-shirts during the event. [caption id="attachment_76" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Local politicians lend a hand."] [/caption] They also had to share their seats with local dignitaries and onlookers who were encouraged to put in a few stitches. Other attractions during the event were a silent and a chance auction, local musical talent and even some dancing in the street. [caption id="attachment_74" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Look at that - three times the goal!"] [/caption]

Our 30-Hour Marathon was a great success. Our goal was to raise $5,000, and we reached over $15,000 for our charity."

Sharon, thanks so much for telling us about this great event - it's so inspiring, and it sounds like it was so much fun. Congratulations on your success! I'm sure someone somewhere is going to get great comfort from that beautiful quilt.

(Have you participated in a community crafting event that you'd like to share? Please, send me an email (agilliland@canadianliving.com) and tell me all about it!)

Have a great night, friends.

PS Don’t forget to leave a comment on Monday’s post for your chance to win the The Unibind PhotoBook Creator Starter Kit and coupon for two free products (with free shipping) from RocketLife. This week, I’m interested in hearing about your favourite craft to take on a road trip.