I just want to cry!

My family was blessed as we moved 25 minutes north of Tuscaloosa in October. Looking at the aerial photos, I just want to cry. Tuscaloosa has been (and still is) my home for the majority of my adult life. I went to college there, graduate school, law school. I shop there. My son goes to school there.

I have thanked God that more people were not killed. At last count, hundreds of people are still missing in the city and surrounding county. I have prayed for the citizens of Tuscaloosa who have lost everything. Entire neighborhoods have been whiped off the map.

We had minor damage (by comparison) at my house. Tons of trees down, one on each side narrowly missing my house. A small tornado (EF3) went over our house several hours before the Tuscaloosa tornado. I know that my son has been so frightened ever since. His stable world has been shaken.

Then I think about the children directly affected that have lost everything in the 1/2 mile to 1 mile wide tornado that cut a 90 mile path through our state. Their homes, their toys, even their pets all gone. Children crave stability, and they have literally lost everything they know.

That is why I thought about the quilt charity. Blankets and stuffed animals are items that children can use to anchor themselves and hold on to for comfort. It also has been in the 50's at night here since the tornado went through.

Quilters are some of the most generous people I know. Please go through your UFO's, charity quilts and stashes to find or make child-sized and baby-sized quilts. Send them to the PO box listed in the contact info and I will make sure they are distributed through the appropriate agencies.

Make sure that they are handmade, washable, have no pins in them and are smoke-free. Please wash them in Dreft or other baby detergent to make sure that there are no irritating dyes or chemicals on them. Please label them with the name of Bama Bound Quilts. Please make sure the label lists the makers name, date and city. Instead of a presentation case, send them in a coordinating tote bag that is large enough to hold the quilt and a few other small items, but small enough for a child to carry. Also include a small (beenie baby-sized) stuff animal in a pocket in the front.

Thanks.
Michelle Kizziah
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Comfort the smallest victims of the Tuscaloosa tornado

Children need to feel secure. When there are natural disasters or other traumatic events that occur in a child's life, it helps him to have an anchor to hold onto. This blog is an effort to collect child-sized and baby-sized charity quilts to distribute to the displaced or traumatized children of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.