Photo By Sgt. Cheri Cramutolo | Master Sgt. Dean Long with Nevada Air Guard's 152nd Air Wing holds up a comfort Quilt....... read more read more
By Sgt. Cheri Cramutolo
Nevada National Guard Domestic Operations Public Affairs Office
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Recently deployed members of the Nevada National Guard were honored at a Project Comfort Quilt reception Wednesday at the governor's mansion in the state's capital city. About 300 Soldiers and Airmen received a quilt as a token of the organization's appreciation for the sacrifices of each family.
Debby Bullentini, a former teacher from Reno, Nev., started Project Comfort Quilt after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"All I wanted to do was to provide comfort to the children who lost their loved ones in the attacks. It blossomed from there," Bullentini said.
The project originally was designed to help families who lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks but now the project has grown substantially. The quilts, she said, are a way for Americans to show their gratitude to service members for protecting our freedom.
"I mailed quilt squares to every state with instructions to paint each square however they wanted and mail them back to me to be included in the quilts," Bullentini said. "The response was unbelievable. So far I have received quilt squares from 18 countries and all U.S states and territories."
What originally began as a small project became a topic of discussion on the House of Representatives floor in Washington D.C. when Cong. Jim Gibbons, now the state's governor, took the project to the discussion floor.
"After Jim spoke to Congress, everyone got on board with the program and took the idea back to their home states. It was like a chain reaction," Bullentini said. "At that point, people could send in finished squares or whole quilts."
Brianna Bullentini, Debby's daughter, was a supporter from the start.
"I had no idea how huge it would get," Brianna Bullentini said. "I am not surprised at the support itself, but at the extent of the support. The quilts overtook the house and our lives. It was tough at times but well worth it."
After receiving a quilt, Spc. Rose Nebres from Nevada's 593rd Transportation Company expressed her thanks.
"A lot of time and work go into making a quilt. It makes me feel good knowing that my service is appreciated," she said.
Another 593rd soldier, Sgt. Tracy Castro said: "It really means a lot to have something from the community. This type of expression of thanks is overwhelming."
| Date Taken: | 02.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2008 12:51 |
| Story ID: | 16732 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 326 |
This work, Quilt project envelopes Nevada Airmen, Soldiers, by SGT Cheri Cramutolo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT