[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E948-E949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE MISSION QUILTERS FOR THEIR HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS

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                        HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 23, 2024

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I wish to bring to my colleagues' 
attention, the outstanding work of Mission Quilters which recently 
completed their 10,000th quilt that will be donated to global 
communities in need of basic supplies.
  Mission Quilters is a group of about 20 volunteers at the Lord of 
Life Lutheran Church in Schaumburg, who gather every Thursday morning 
to stitch quilts. This tradition dates to 1985, when Carol Langseth, 
the wife of the church's then-pastor, had the goal of creating handmade 
quilts to provide comfort to those in need around the world. I am very 
pleased to report that just last week, the group reached a milestone 
with their 10,000th quilt. These quilts are distributed both locally 
and to communities in nine countries, through the Lutheran World Relief 
organization.
  Mission Quilters relies on the donations of materials from individual 
quilters and other organizations. These materials are then cut and used 
to create a variety of quilts. Volunteers participate in the process by 
sewing and layering the quilt squares. Working together, they produce 
at least four quilts per week. In fact, the quilts produced by Mission 
Quilters could cover 185 football fields and stretch 22,222 yards. The 
finished quilts are first used

[[Page E949]]

to adorn the pews of the Lord of Life Lutheran Church and, after being 
blessed, are sent to various parts of the world.
  For nearly 40 years, Mission Quilters have donated their quilts to 
countries such as Georgia, Tanzania, Ukraine, Angola, Mali, Guatemala, 
and the Democratic Republic of Congo Mission Quilters' quilts have also 
comforted Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as well as in other parts of the 
world that are affected by war. Locally, they have kept our communities 
warm, by distributing their quilts through organizations such as North 
Side Housing and Supportive Services in Chicago, WINGS, and Lutheran 
Social Services of Illinois for those in need.
  The men and women of Mission Quilters embody public service at its 
best. As their representative in Congress, I am deeply honored to 
recognize the significant contributions of Mission Quilters. They have 
helped to bring families together and provided support to those 
affected by war and natural disasters through their quilting. It is for 
this impact that I wish to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the 
Mission Quilters.

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