By JULIE KEANE, Globe staff reporter
November 20, 2003

VARINA - A St. Columbkille parishioner has the gift of bringing warmth and comfort to those who are going through a difficult time by quilting blankets.

Betty Nielsen, founder of Freedom Quilts, has made over 600 quilts for the victims of Sept. 11. She said that she stopped keeping track of how many hours she as dedicated to this project after she hit 8,000 hours.

Nielsen has many people that help her make the quilts and in total those that are quilting for the project have produced over 3,000 quilts.

Through her Freedom Quilts project, she has learned how much her blankets can make a difference to those who receive them.

And she has recently found a new way to help make a difference with her homemade patriotic quilts.

Nielsen has quilted a blanket for her parish's annual fish fry and raffle that takes place on March 5, 2004. The quilt will be raffled off for a dollar a ticket in hopes of generating money to repair a stained glass window.

A quilt has been made for the St. Columbkille parish for over 40 years - each year being raffled off to earn money for the parishes greatest need. Last year, the ladies in the parish made blocks to help put the quilt together. In prior years the quilts have been made by a lady within the parish who is now unable to quilt for the raffle because she is living in a nursing home. This year Nielsen felt that she should make the quilt to give back to her parish.

"This year, I felt that I needed to do it," Nielsen said. "Maybe next year we can get the whole community to do it again, but this year I felt that I needed to do it. The church has done so much for me. They have opened the parish hall so we could make quilts and do God's work."

Last year the fish fry had over 900 people in attendance. Nielsen hopes for the same numbers this year and extends an invitation to all who want to come.

Along with making quilts for her Freedom Quilt project and the parish's raffle, Nielsen recently gave a presentation to the children at Mater Dei school in Sioux City.

Nielsen spoke about how she got involved with the Freedom Quilt program and her trips to the East Coast to distribute the quilts to families of victims from 9-11.

She spoke to the children about God's intentions with her quilts. She went on to explain that God wants her to use her gift of quilting for all those that are mourning. She also told the students that when people do good, the good keeps growing and the word of God keeps growing.

"I want the kids to know that they can make a difference," Nielsen said. "God is speaking to them ever single day. He is with them all day, they just have to open their hearts."

Nielsen went on to say that God is her motivation and that he doesn't want her to stop helping others. She said that God is guiding her and when she has doubts, God reminds her how much she is helping others when letters, a phone call or e-mail from someone thanking her for their quilt arrives.

Towards the end of the presentation, a video was also shown about a young man who had died on Sept. 11, 2001. Nielsen had received this video from the deceased family members who had received a quilt that she had made. She also read letters that were sent to her from the families of those who were killed during 9-11.

After the presentation, the students from Mater Dei presented Nielsen with a quilt that they had made for her to show their appreciation for what she is doing with her quilts.

For more information regarding the St. Columbkille fish fry please call either Carla Lindgren at 288-5377 or Jan Brabec at 288-5781. And, for more information about Freedom Quilts contact Betty Nielsen at (712) 288-5328 or www.freedomquilts.net.