The St. Malo Quilters were honoured by the Alzheimer Society South Eastman Region for the 1,000 touch quilts they have donated.

Leona Doerksen is the Regional Coordinator for the Alzheimer Society. She notes the Alzheimer Society has kept track of the St. Malo Quilters volunteer hours making quilts and they are up to around 7,000 hours.

"The Alzheimer Society office in Steinbach was honoured to invite eight ladies who call themselves the St. Malo quilters to our office here in Steinbach and we hosted a tea for them. We were honouring them because they have, in less than two years, created over a thousand touch quilts to be given to residents who live in personal care homes throughout southeast Manitoba."

Doerksen says along with providing touch quilts to all residents of personal care homes in the Southeast, they have also supplied quilts to a PCH in the Interlake and two PCH's in Winnipeg. She notes the touch quilts make a big difference.

"It means a lot to us to have community members who aren't forgetting about our seniors who are living in care. It is a little way to say thank you to our seniors for the contributions that they have made to the community and just to let them know that we haven't forgotten about them."

Doerksen says a representative from the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba attended the special tea and presented the St. Malo Quilters with a plaque that displays the number of volunteer hours put into the quilts. She says the quilts are an excellent gift for the residents.

"The touch quilts are basically a handmade quilt that is about 36 inches square, so just enough to cover the lap. The ladies make them beautifully created. They create them with unique interest squares on them. Activity squares to help provide some stimulation and interest to the residents and then, of course, to provide some warmth as well."

The St. Malo Quilters are happy to contribute. Doerksen says they are delighted to be able to use their talents and time on such a meaningful task. She notes the ladies say all of their lives have been touched by dementia in some way and they know how difficult the journey is. She adds the ladies hope that when they can no longer quilt, the next generation will take up the baton and carry on their legacy.