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Gift of quilt results in additional giving

By Rose Hooper
Quilt A quilter since she was 15, Bessie Morgan, now 91, donated this hand-stitched quilt to help the congregation of Webster Baptist Church raise money for a new building. David Preston, center, the church's representative to Baptist Children's Home, and the Rev. Mike Dellinger, right, admire the handiwork in this schoolhouse pattern quilt, which will be auctioned Saturday, Aug. 24. Last year the quilt Morgan donated resulted in 10 new karaoke machines and a continuous supply of linens for children at the home. "Her stitching has weaved in so many people," David Preston said about 91-year-old Bessie Morgan's famous quilt.

The story began about this time last year when Morgan, ever faithful to Webster Baptist Church, donated a handmade quilt for the church's fund-raising auction. Bidding on the quilt netted the church $550, but that was just the beginning.

High bidder Matt Kozlowski, who works with the "Antiques Road Show," later returned both the quilt - and the money. He wanted both to go to a needy family.

Morgan's daughter, Frances Fox, is a former house parent at Baptist Children's Home in Haywood County. While her daughter still worked there, Morgan enjoyed boxing up homemade goodies like jellies, jams and cornbread for the children.

Morgan and Webster Baptist Church have a special place in their hearts for the children's home. But they knew one quilt couldn't cover all the children in each of the 10 cottages.

Meanwhile, Preston, the church's representative to the children's home, discovered the Grove Park Inn was getting rid of towels, sheets and bed coverings with "tiny flaws."

"Oh, they might have a little tear here or a missed stitch there, but what they were getting rid of was better quality than what most of us use every day," said Preston, who convinced officials at the Grove Park Inn to donate the linens to the children's home.

Now that he had the children "covered," Preston asked them what they needed the most. In unison, both the house parents and children responded, "karaoke machines!"

House parents told Preston how the machines helped the children overcome their shyness, especially the new children when they arrived. The sing-along machines also help the children with their self-confidence and gives them an opportunity to be on center stage, Preston learned.

He also learned the machines don't come cheap - and they needed one for each of the 10 cottages. Using the Internet, church members helped find quality machines - the kind that even print out the words - at the best price. The church decided to take proceeds from one of their Wednesday night meals to help make up the difference in the money they had and what the karaoke machines cost.

When Kozlowski discovered the route his giving had taken, he was so impressed, he even anted up more money so the machines could be purchased. Now the children are singing the praises of their brand-spanking-new, state-of-the-art karaoke machines.

And the Grove Park Inn has decided to donate their "used" linens to the children on a regular basis.

"All of this came about because of one quilt Miss Morgan donated to our church," said the Rev. Mike Dellinger, Webster Baptist Church pastor. "Her quilt generated so much good work for the Lord that we plan to keep it as a memento and hang it in our new church."

Webster Baptist is growing so fast, Dellinger said, that a new church is needed. To help raise the targeted $285,000, the church is sponsoring a flea market this Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23 and 24, and an auction Saturday at 6 p.m.

Once again, Morgan has donated a quilt to help with the fund-raising.

"No telling what this one will generate," said Dellinger when he picked the old schoolhouse pattern quilt up from Morgan's home Monday afternoon.

Back to Archive: 08/22/02.