The Three C’s of Quilting: Community, Caring and Creativity

In 2020, the Pensacola Quilters Guild Quilt Show Committee initiated the presentation of special ribbons at the quilt show in collaboration with other charitable organizations that also contribute to the greater Pensacola community. These ribbons, one for Community, one for Caring and one for Creativity are now familiarly referred to as the “Three C’s”.

Initially, these ribbons were offered for sponsorship in an effort to raise money for guild expenses; at that time, the guild was losing thousands of dollars a year in facility rental fees. In 2020, all of the sponsorships were purchased by individuals who selected the organizations to participate. In 2023, none of the ribbons were sponsored.  There was a last-minute quest to find participants for this program and we were luckily able to give those ribbons to the selected quilts’ makers. This year, in advance of the show, efforts are already underway to select our “sister-organizations” for this program. We are still seeking sponsorships for these ribbons (every little bit helps!), so YOU, or your group of friends, can purchase the sponsorship of one of these ribbons and select a local organization that promotes values representing Community, Caring, or Creativity.

What does this entail? You, or your quilting bee friends, contribute $300 for sponsorship and select your favorite local charitable organization to participate in our 2025 Awards Ceremony. The quilt show committee chair for the 3-C’s will write the letters and extend the appropriate invitations and stay in communication with you or your group during this process. A representative of your selected organization is invited to come to the quilt show on the Thursday afternoon before doors are opened and select a quilt, ANY JUDGED QUILT, that is representative of their organization or appeals to them. This quilt is later moved from its hanging position in the show to the Wall of Honor for the ceremony the following morning. The representative of the organization returns the following morning to give the award to the quilt-maker and is invited to speak about their organization and the appeal the quilt had for them. The ribbon belongs to the maker of the quilt, who is called in advance to be present for the Awards Ceremony if at all possible.

The name of the organization and the representative of the organization is listed in the catalog next to the picture of the sponsored ribbon. The Sponsor's name is also listed.

Consider this. For Creativity ribbon sponsorship, you could invite the Pensacola Little Theater, or the Pensacola Museum of Art, or the Pensacola Children's Chorus. If you sponsored the Community ribbon, you could invite Habitat for Humanity, or Manna Food Bank, or the Council on Aging. If you sponsored the Caring Ribbon, you could invite Ronald McDonald House, or the Special Olympics, or the ARC. These are just a few examples for organizations in Pensacola that provide assistance to people in need locally. You sponsor the ribbon, your representative picks a quilt, and the quilt-maker wins the ribbon in our special awards ceremony at 10 am on the opening day of our quilt show. The funds from sponsorship supports the quilt show and all future guild activities.

History:

2020 Quilt Show

* Community Ribbon- Darcy Hicks, the Director of Operations at Baptist Behavioral Medicine Center. Dedicated to educate and promote mental health awareness.

* Caring Ribbon- Sue Straughn, a local media personality and producer of “Angels in Our Midst”, a TV essay featuring the unsung heroes and the caring attitudes of people in the greater Pensacola community

* Creativity Ribbon -Lori Storey, the ACE (Arts, Culture, Entertainment) grant chairman

2023 Quilt Show

* Community Ribbon-Brianne Law in honor of our local military servicemen and women and our veterans.

* Caring Ribbon-Leslie Yandle of Just Pensacola, an organization dedicated to finding affordable housing to people from diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic levels.

* Creativity Ribbon -Lou Mitchell Courtney, a local artist whose aunt, Julia Wernicke, was a heritage member of the guild and founder of our Traveling Block Education program.

Timeline/Deadlines:

November 20, 2024        Ribbon Sponsorships are purchased.

December 1, 2024 Your representative is sent a letter from the guild with information about this project to determine if they are willing and able to participate in our event. If they are able to participate, no further work from the sponsor  is necessary. If they decline, the sponsor is asked to select a substitute organization for this honor.

January 15, 2025 Information about the organization and its representative is submitted to the editor of the catalog for appropriate placement and proofreading.

March 1, 2025 A follow-up letter is sent to the representative reminding them of the dates/times for guild events. Information in the letter includes :

• The representative will select a quilt on Thursday afternoon prior to the quilt show between 1 pm and 3 pm (This year that is Thursday, March 27).
• The representative will return to the awards ceremony on Friday at 10 am to award the ribbon to the winning quilt maker (This year that is Friday, March 28).
• They are given 2 free tickets for admission to the quilt show.

March 28, 2025 When called upon to award ribbons at the ceremony, each representative is handed the ribbon by the sponsor or sponsors of the ribbon. They are offered an opportunity to give a 2-3-minute speech regarding their organization and how the quilt they selected exemplifies the qualities of their organization. They pin the ribbon onto the quilt with the quilt maker in attendance. Pictures are taken.