VGUMW holding Cunningham Children’s Home fundraiser
On November 14, the Villa Grove United Methodist Women, with the support of the Villa Grove United Methodist Church congregation, will again be holding their fall fundraiser for Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana, Illinois. This year shoppers are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing as you look over the items available for sale. Plastic gloves will be provided so that you can pick up items to look them over. For over 15 years the Villa Grove UMW have held a craft/bake sale and sold tickets for an opportunity to win a homemade quilt to raise funds for Cunningham Children’s Home, whose mission is to offer emotional, social, educational and spiritual support to children, youth and families by providing a safe, nurturing, therapeutic environment in which individuals may experience personal growth, learning and healing. Founded in 1895 as an orphanage, today Cunningham offers residential treatment, independent living programs, and therapeutic special education to children and adolescents ages 5 to 21. At Cunningham, a community converges to give hope to those who need it most—youth who suffer from serious emotional and behavioral challenges that have been caused by abuse, neglect, mental illness, and more. Through comprehensive programs and services, they provide expert care to help their kids learn positive coping and behavioral skills, to achieve realistic academic goals, and to develop the life skills necessary to be successful in our community.
This year’s quilt(shown below) was pieced by Martha Morgan, a member of the VGUMC quilting groups, in the “Sticks and Stones’’ pattern. It is made of batik fabrics in earth tones. The 60 ‘’ by 72” quilt was hand quilted by the VGUMC quilting groups. Tickets may be purchased for an opportunity to own the quilt from any member of the United Methodist Women. Tickets will also be on sale on November 14 from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Villa Grove United Methodist Church where the United Methodist Men are holding their annual Pancake, Sausage, Biscuit and Gravy Breakfast from 7:00 to 9:00 and the United Methodist Women will have hand crafted items on sale, as well as homemade baked goods.
All money received for the quilt or for the craft/baked items will be sent to Cunningham’s Children Home. Any expenses involved in holding the fundraiser are absorbed by the Villa Grove UMW organization. Over the last 25 years or more, VGUMW has sent more than $55,000 to assist Cunningham in its mission to children and adolescents. The VGUMW looks forward to adding to that $55,000 mark this year. These gifts to Cunningham help bridge the gap between reimbursements from referring agencies and the actual costs of caring for the kids.