Blind Ambition: Quilters stitch blankets for children who can't see
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Posted 7:27 AM 9/17/2012 : Blind Ambition: Tucson quilters stitch quilts for children who can't see
TUCSON- They call it a labor of love.
A group of Tucson women are stitching together quilts for blind children, but the pieces can't come together without the community's help.
Carmen Jimenez and Debbie Schaab are trying to sew about 40 quilts for the children at SAAVI, an organization that helps the visually impaired. "Each of us needs to feel important and we're doing it because we care," Schaab says.
Every week they get together to sew, a task which can be quite difficult, especially for Schaab and Jimenez. "It's my up close vision that I have pretty lost, it's very compromised," Schaab says.
"I lost my vision about five years ago," Jimenez says.
They themselves are students at SAAVI. They use different equipment and tape to help them sew without really being able to see. "It's something I didn't think I could do," Jimenez says.
They thought the sewing would be their biggest challenge, but now they're facing another problem. The women are in desperate need of fabric, so they're asking for donations from the community. "We want the kids to feel special because when you have a loss, such as loss of vision, it affects your self-esteem," Schaab says.
They're trying to finish the quilts by next summer.
If you would like to help, you can contact Diana Vargas of SAAVI at dvargas-vila@saavi.us or call (520) 829-7376.
