And the Winner is.......

Hello Everyone,

And the final winner is.......I don't know yet!  Here is why.

I went to the meeting of the Ridge Quilters Guild on Tuesday.  My friend Kaaren and I left Arnold at 5am to get to the guild meeting in Chico by 9am.  We drove into the parking lot at 9:05am. Kaaren's role was to be a smiling face at the guild.  More importantly she went along for the ride to keep me awake!  We met up with my sister Gail at the meeting.  She had a three hour drive to the meeting.

I was asked to put a short talk together about my fundraiser for the residents of Paradise.  This is my cover slide.  The iconic Paradise sign, burned to the ground during the Camp Fire.  I thought it fitting to begin the talk with the sign and the beautiful view of Butte Creek Canyon which flanks the west side of town.

It was determined ahead of time that the members were going to select the winning numbers.  One number would be selected for each of the two quilts.

Lukie, a member of the Paradise guild was first, and she selected the winning number which belonged to Deborah Juster from Ann Arbor, MI! 

 

I contacted Deborah via email, and this is what she said.

From the moment I sent in the money for the raffle, I knew if by some miracle I won, as much as I would treasure your beautiful quilt, it should really go to someone in Paradise who lost everything.



So one of the quilts will revert back to the Ridge Quilter's Guild, and they will have their own raffle to decide which one of their members who lost everything will get the quilt.  The guild is still working on the details. 

Another guild member selected the 2nd place winner, who just happens to be a member of my guild in Arnold, CA.  I'm going to keep her name secret until our meeting next Monday.  Then I will tell the world who she is, and that she selected my navy blue Emilie Elizabeth quilt to live in her house.  I was so excited to know one of the winners.

During my life as a quilter and designer, I've been very fortunate to be included in many events.  My time spent Tuesday at the meeting of the Paradise Ridge Quilters Guild, is one the highlights of my quilting career.

There was so much positive energy in the room. Yes, there were some tears, but that is okay.  Many of the guild members had not seen each other since the fire.  Before I started speaking, I'd put Kleenex in both of my pockets.  I didn't need them, since the guild members lifted me up with their positive attitude.

 



I love this picture of the woman in the center room with open arms.  That was the theme of the day.  The event was held at the Chico Women's Club. The architecture was beautiful. This is going to be the new home and meeting place for the guild, since their building burned to the ground.

Prior to the meeting, Country Pines Quilt Shop in Susanville, CA delivered around 120 quilts to the guild.  All of the quilts were made by the customers of Country Pines.  Laura, the shop owner, said the quilts were made with love, so surround yourself with it.  Please check out their shop online or in person.  They offer many kits in a great variety of styles.  Their selection of fabric is phenomenal.  I was so "taken" with this shop that I signed up to attend their quilt retreat in May.  I'm looking forward to spending time with the quilters in the Susanville area.

Here's a couple of the members looking at the donated quilts.  How could one decide?

 

The members sat clutching their quilts.

 

 

There were many free items donated to the guild.  My friend Lynnette Pham, made 20 pincushions for the guild members.  By the end of the meeting, the table was empty.

 



 

Of course there was food!  These adorable scissor and thread cookies were delicious.  I speak from personal taste testing.

 



 

Many of the guild members spoke openly about their loss, and their hope for the future.  There were also members who still have their homes, but for now, they are uninhabitable.  There is benzene in the water making it impossible to drink, bathe, or wash dishes.  In most cases there is no electricity, phone service, or Internet.  There are dangerous trees that need to be removed.  The lots need to have all of the hazardous waste removed by the Army Corps of Engineers.  The tasks facing the town of Paradise are monumental before the residents can return. IT IS CRIMINAL what has happened to this little piece of heaven that I called home for 19 years. 

 

I'll get off my soap box now and turn my post back to the fundraiser.

 

There was a total of 3731 tickets sold.  Several people did not want tickets.  They wanted their checks to be a donation.  The final amount collected was:  $19,410!!!!

 

I started the ball rolling, but you, my readers, kept the ball moving at a rapid clip, and made a huge difference in many lives.  I can never thank you enough.

 

This fundraiser has shown me the generous hearts and souls in the quilting community.  There is so much goodness in the world.  I feel so lucky to be a small part of it.

 

I still have more funds to distribute.  In talking with the guild, we have established plans on the best way to distribute the remaining money to help the most amount of people.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you all. 

 

Remember, Paradise and Butte County Strong!

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

P.S.  Over lunch, one of the guild members was telling us about a Face Book page where people were asked, "What was the dumbest item you took with you when fleeing the fire?"  One woman said she took her Spanx.......then at least she would look skinny while sifting through the debris!  I think her sense of humor will get her through this.

 

P.S.S.  This post is late because our power has been on and off for two days due to a huge storm sweeping through our area.