WINGS Client Shares Heartfelt Thank You for Quilt

First served through the WINGS Hospital Program, a client shares her heartfelt thank you note for a quilt. Not only was the gift impactful, it also symbolized the impact of WINGS on her life and the lives of her two children.

“Since I can remember my grandfather was the one person in this world I wanted to live up to; wished to live for; and be admired and loved by. When I was about five years old, he gave me a quilt with bright colored lines.

I still to this day have this quilt. I used it to grieve my grandfather’s passing; to wrap my most precious possessions (my daughter and my son); and to comfort me in moments of immense sadness.

My grandfather’s quilt is now thin and the years show in its edges. But then, I received the most surprising gift when WINGS gave me a quilt; a bright yellow quilt. I now use it to give myself comfort during this new time in my life when I have felt very lonely.

Reflecting on the gift of this new quilt, I thought about the care taken when each piece of fabric was chosen, and carefully cut into a square, and later sewn together to create a quilt that has been gifted to me without you knowing who I am.

I would like you to know that I am a proud mother and a hard-working teacher. I labor from dusk until dawn on behalf of socio-economically challenged minority children, with the hope of pulling them out of their circumstances, in a world that challenges them in so many ways every day.

I want you to know that you have given me the most appropriate gift at just the right time. Just like my grandfather’s quilt once did, your quilt will be with me, protecting and comforting me as I face whatever comes, and until the day I cease to be.”

Like a Quilt, WINGS Provides:

• Comfort and Warmth

Just as quilt batting protects against the cold, WINGS meets the housing and basic daily needs of clients by providing a safe and compassionate environment where they can heal and begin their journey to FREEDOM.

• Carefully Chosen Continuum of Services

Just as fabrics are carefully chosen for a quilt, WINGS staff provides each client with unique, specifically selected resources
that empower and give them HOPE for the future.

• Lasting Impact

Just as the grandfather’s quilt wrapped and held this WINGS client’s most precious possessions, so too does WINGS help foster the self-esteem and confidence each client needs to live a life FREE from domestic violence.

Like a quilt that is carefully sewn together, WINGS continuum of services: housing, counseling, and mentoring are the threads clients use to transform their lives and work toward their full potential. When the sewing process is finished, a beautiful pattern of healthy relationships and the broken cycle of domestic violence can be seen; ultimately resulting in stronger, safer, and healthier communities for the future.

Breaking the cycle of abuse, over fiscal year 2019, 96% of WINGS Safe House and Housing program clients reported not returning to their abusers and 78% reported moving to more secure housing. Diminishing their abusers power and control over them, 96% of Safe House clients reported feeling more confident that they can solve problems and make their own decisions, and 85% reported feeling more financially stable than when they entered the program.

WINGS Children and Family Services also impact child survivors through counseling, play and art therapy, educational resources, and social activities. These interventions of safe housing and counseling allow children to have healthy relationships in the future, breaking the generational cycle of domestic violence.

Join Our Patchwork of Support

Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our supporters, WINGS is able to assist hundreds of people impacted by domestic violence each year.

The need for assistance remains great. The client in the above story was first served through the WINGS Hospital Program, which last saw a dramatic increase in demand for bedside consultations. In Fiscal Year 2019, WINGS Hospital Program had 775 bedside calls, more than a 400% increase over the previous fiscal year of 148 bedside calls.

Learn how YOU can be part of WINGS solution to break the cycle of domestic violence: http://wingsprogram.com/ways-to-help/.