The Orchard Valley Quilters Guild is an organization that aims to promote the art form of quilting, exchange creative ideas, foster friendship, and give back to their community by providing quilts to those in need. This year the Guild has focused on creating quilts to be donated to the former residents of the Hadgraft Wilson Place.
The opening of Hadgraft Wilson Place in May 2023 was the realization of a long awaited dream of Pathways Abilities Society and the families they served. The 68 unit structure provided more than just housing for folks with low to moderate incomes. Diversity among the 89 tenants, which included people with disabilities, seniors, single persons and families with children, was recognized as a key factor contributing to a flourishing sense of community that grew within the building.
On April 2, 2024, the residents were suddenly evacuated due to structural safety concerns of the building. Pathways continued to do their best to support the tenants by helping to organize temporary housing. Okanagan College and Pathways collaborated to form an agreement that allowed tenants to move into their nearly completed student housing for three months at a reduced cost. During that time, Pathways continued to work with agencies and outside sources to try to assist in finding new and appropriate housing for the tenants. But due to the lack of affordable and accessible housing, this became a huge undertaking, with many of the tenants unable to afford market rentals. Tenants were offered some additional (albeit limited) financial support to help with the costs of market rentals by UBC in an effort to assist when it was clear that the tenants could no longer return to their homes in the near future. On August 15th, 2024, the tenancies ended.
Despite these efforts, the building continues to be uninhabitable and its future uncertain. The residents are now scattered within and outside the community. Stable, affordable housing continues to be an extremely stressful challenge for some. For many of these folks, some of whom have no other family members or who had previously been socially isolated, the loss of their community has been devastating.
As a community, how do we demonstrate caring for some of our most vulnerable citizens? Sometimes small gestures can go a long way to let people know their plight has not been forgotten. The guild hopes these quilts will provide a sense of comfort and support for the displaced residents of Hadgraft Wilson Place
Please join us on Friday, June 20th from 4-6pm for an opening reception for COMFORTING OUR COMMUNITY WITH QUILTS. This reception is free and open to the public. Tea, coffee, and light snacks will be provided.
The Orchard Valley Quilters Guild is a group whose aims are to promote our art form, exchange creative ideas, foster friendship and to give back to the community by providing quilts to those in need.
Annually we donate 400 quilts to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at KGH, a minimum of 250 Christmas stockings to the Salvation Army, more than 100 heart comfort pillows to Hospice House, and quilts to the Nurse Family Partnership Program, the Kids Count Program and the Women’s Shelter and others.
Special projects in the past have included quilts donated in 2022-23 to Survivors of Residential Schools and victims of the McDougall Creek Wildfire. This year we have chosen the former tenants of Hadgraft Wilson Place to be the recipients of our Comfort Quilts.