Varina woman continues to gather quilts
By TAVIA MALONE
Globe staff writer
Posted May 9, 2002

VARINA-A call for Catholics to help with quilting is what Betty Nielsen of Varina is praying for this month. The quilts that Nielsen and other volunteers are producing go directly to the families of the victims of Sept. 11.

Nielsen has been working faithfully since the terrorist attacks in September to aid in making more than 2,700 quilts. She has managed to bring together many communities in Iowa and elsewhere to donate quilts to the victims' families. Things have slowed down in the past few weeks, which is why Nielsen is asking for extra help, especially from Catholics.

Nielsen, with various assistance, has been presenting programs to groups that explain how they can help. She charges $100, which helps pay for supplies and keeps the ball rolling on the quilting project. At these presentations, people learn how they can help out and what they can do to get started on quilting. Recently, Nielsen presented a quilting program at Roland, Iowa.

"I just have to keep spreading the word," explained Nielsen. "I have had a lot of support from the Catholic churches in Storm Lake, Fonda, Varina and Pomeroy."

Additionally, Nielsen has been receiving continued support from Senator Tom Harkin. Nielsen was very pleased with the help and assistance that the senator has been offering the quilting project. Not only did he make it possible for Nielsen and other volunteers to personally hand out the quilts last December in New York City, but he still promotes the project by sending letters to area leaders.

Father John Cain of St. Joseph Parish in Sioux Rapids received a letter from Harkin asking for the parish's assistance in helping Nielsen produce more quilts.

"This effort exemplifies the ultimate 'can do' attitude of America: a small community finds a way to unite the nation by giving a gift of love to each family who suffered a loss on Sept. 11," wrote Harkin.

Although the project was scheduled to conclude in April, Nielsen did not feel her work was done. Letters and phone calls from the victims' families have kept her going, in addition to the love and guidance of God.

"This project has been God's," she said. "It is not my project; it is his. He's the one who has guided me and he is not letting me quit."

Nielsen explained that she had never been an expert quilter in the past and used to be afraid of working on more complicated quilt designs.

"On Sept. 11, when I opened my heart to God, I couldn't stop crying," she said. "It was God telling me 'Give my children comfort, and make them a quilt'."

Since that day, Nielsen has worked hard and has been able to work on those more complicated quilt designs. Currently, she has a deadline set for the beginning of July, with another trip to New York City, where a picnic and an additional gathering at a school is planned. There, volunteers from the Varina area will hand out quilts to those who attend.

Originally, Nielsen had only planned to give one quilt to each family, but during her trip to New York in December, she knew that she had to give more.

"When I came back from New York, I had even a stronger feeling that God wanted us to continue," she explained.

Nielsen still needs help working on quilts and calls for any donations of money, supplies or material. If donations include quilt blocks, she asks that they be patriotically-themed. For more information, contact her at (712) 288-5328.