“The quilt my son received is one of his favorite items. Such a beautiful and thoughtful gift!💕” – Teresa.
Teresa and thousands more parents have that same feeling. When staying at RMHC Alberta families go to the Quilt Room or the Quilt area and pick out quilts for their children. These quilts stay with families for years and years, providing comfort, creating memories, and marking an important time in their lives.
Martina Berg is a quilter. She finds beautiful fabrics and creates wonderful works of art. Not only is her art incredible to look at – her quilts have raised nearly $100,000 for RMHC Alberta over the years.
“A quilt shows that people care, every time they snuggle into it like its a hug,” says Martina.
Martina is from Grande Prairie, where the annual Shoot for the House event is hosted, raising millions over the past decade supporting RMHC Alberta and the families who stay there. Martina even knows many of the families who have had to travel for medical treatments.
In fact, Martina herself knows the journey of leaving home in Grande Prairie to access her own medical treatments in Edmonton, and with that empathy and compassion she is making a unique and distinct impact on the families in her community.
So how do Martina’s quilts raise so much money?
Every year at Shoot for the House, the final live auction item is one of Martina’s quilts. When the bids start, they come in fast and furious with the incredible generosity of attendees and sponsors.
As Martina says, “I’m thankful for the companies who bid on the quilts at Shoot for the House and how generous they are. They have a respect for the time and work put into the quilts and the time and efforts at RMHC.”
At the end of the night – the winning bidder donates the quilt back to the spokesfamily who have shared their own personal RMHC journey. It has become a beautiful moment of connection and impact for everyone involved.
Martina herself is never present when the quilts are up for auction, choosing to keep herself behind the scenes in those moments but the event organizers are quick to send her notes about the money raised and the love shared because of her quilt.
When asked what she thinks about this, Martina said, “I’m stunned – I personally couldn’t make that kind of donation but I have the ability to do something.”
Turning her passion and her skill into this donation has helped the thousands of families who have called RMHC home over the past decade.
Martina humbly mentioned that this is part of her legacy, and what an incredible legacy to have.
