by Alyssa Roberts

CORRESPONDENT

Grantsville's Senior Center has been keeping busy by tying quilts for the needy.

The seniors began by helping the firemen donate 100 quilts to the burn center last summer. They then decided that this was a project they wanted to continue on a county level.

"We have kept it as an ongoing project," explained Karlene Edwards, treasurer of the Grantsville Senior Citizens Board. "But we're giving to our county. The shelters here in Tooele really needed quilts. We didn't realize there was such a need."

Holly Johnson, Tooele County's victim advocate, and Karen Kuipers, the county's relief services director, collect the finished quilts from the volunteers. Many of the quilts go to the Children's Justice Center, the Pathways shelter for abused women, and the homeless.

"We give our quilts to them and they know which centers and organizations are in need of the quilts," said Edwards.

With a dozen regular volunteers from the senior center, their efforts have been very successful. Since last summer, they have yielded 90 completed quilts that have been donated inside the county, with approximately 60 more currently or nearly underway.

The senior's pay for quilting materials with money made from fundraising activities and rummage sales.

The quilts are set up at least once a week, with anyone wishing to volunteer coming to tie, and three other volunteers sewing and finishing the blankets.

Wanting to help make everyone comfortable, the volunteers have been varying the sizes of the quilts.

"We have made all different sizes, from baby to teenager size," Edwards said.