On the morning of Saturday, September 20th, the San Saba community received a heartfelt delivery of handmade comfort quilts. The quilts, carefully and lovingly stitched by members of various quilt guilds, quilt ministries from across Texas and other states, were distributed to individuals and families who had suffered due to the July floods. Ladies from Victoria, Brenham, and Longview, Texas, brought quilts of comfort for the community. This event was a testament to the power of collective generosity and the commitment of people who seek to comfort and support their neighbors during challenging times.
Through the efforts of Lynn McHenry, connecting with the group and helped facilitate the outreach, the hospitality of Joanne Weik, with St. Mary’s Catholic Church, generously providing a venue for the quilt presentation and distribution event. A special blessing ceremony, offered by Fr. Joe Polisetty, was held to honor these tokens of comfort and support, before presenting quilts for distribution.
Connie Kortz, organizer and coordinator of the donations, owner of My Fabric Friends Quilt Shop in Victoria, traveled with Teri Scheibelhut from south Texas, bringing a carload of handmade quilts. Members of quilt guilds and other organizations such as Hens & Needles Quilt Ministry and Outreach of the Cowboy Church of Brenham - including Susan Blanchard, Helen Huebel, Debbie Presswood, Veronica Weems, and Antoninette Mathers – contributed quilts and participated in setup and distribution. This quilt ministry not only collects and donates quilts to communities in Texas but also extends its outreach to schools in Zambia, Apache reservations in New Mexico, and provides quilting instructions to widowed women in Zambia and the Dulce Reservation in New Mexico.
Pat Smith, Texas State Legislature Chair of the Catholic Daughters of Texas, brought her daughter and granddaughter, Crystal Bailey, and Brittany Earls, from the Longview/Tyler area, further increasing the number of quilt donations. Volunteers learned about the quilt drive through Facebook posts and flyers distributed by Connie. Some drove the hand-stitched quilts collected to Victoria to meet Connie for the first time and to join in her mission.
On Friday, July 4th, Connie Kortz felt compelled to support Texans suffering from devastating floods in the Hill Country. Having a thriving social media presence for her Quilting business, she called for quilt donations, collecting quilts to deliver to flood ravaged areas. The initial focus was to the greatest loss and most publicized area, Kerrville and the Guadalupe River; she recruited donations for the “Guadalupe (river) Quilt Drive.” As it became clear that many more communities needed help, the initiative was renamed “HUGS for the Hill Country” - Helping U Get Strong. “By the grace of God, things came to me to make this happen” she said and then put to work by finishing one hundred quilts her store had available and reached out to her network, soon gathering donations of 500 quilt tops, which quickly grew to 700 finished quilts within days. These quilts in a variety of colors, designs, and sizes were ready for delivery. Upon learning that Kerrville was overwhelmed with donations, she shifted focus to other communities, making San Saba the first distribution point, followed by Hunt, Comfort, Kerr County and Kerrville.
San Saba received 148 handcrafted quilts, ranging from lapsize to queen, along with one hundred beautiful pillowcases made by Texas quilters and quilters from other states donated by Connie and her companions. Tammy Davis of Big Rock, Tennessee, crafted 148 pocket prayers, each packaged in organza drawstring bags with special tags featuring the State of Texas and the message “stronger than the storm.”
Connie continues to collect Poppy Blocks to assemble special quilts for the campers and families who were tragically lost along the river. Her compassion extends beyond Texas; Connie has personally driven to North Carolina twice to deliver 476 quilts to communities devastated by the Hurricane Helene surrounding the Ashville area. Connie’s dedication and servant’s heart inspire everyone who contributes their talents and time to provide these extraordinary gifts of love and warmth.