Jessica’s House has a special meaning for the community of South Huron. It is named in honour of 22-year-old Jessica Hamather, who lost her life in 2015 to an extremely rare cancer. Maria Hamather, Jessica’s Mother and co-chair of the steering committee, believes this community hospice will provide much needed support for families during difficult times.
When something important happens in the community, such as building a new community hospice, quilters want to help and step up. Our local quilt shop closed its doors and owner, Linda Bartlett, gave a quilt kit to the hospital foundation. During meetings of the Huron-Perth Quilters Guild, rumours spread that the foundation was looking for help to make this quilt. Diane Carson recognized the opportunity to support the project and shared the plan with close friends who often socialize while quilting.
The kit was a block-of-the-month, so each quilter took a block home after guild meetings and returned with it finished at the next meeting. They gladly took another until all the blocks were made and ready for assembly. While at the annual January retreat quilters pieced border blocks until they were successful in completion.
Diane custom quilted the quilt on her longarm and arranged for a day to meet with representatives from Jessica’s House to donate the quilt. Until the day arrived, nobody knew how the quilt would be used. Emotions flowed when the group learned Maria, Jessica’s Mom, requested it be used as a Dignity Quilt as residents leave Jessica’s House for the final time.
While other hospices in Ontario are subsidized by government funding, Jessica’s House is completely funded by charitable groups, residents and businesses from South Huron and nearby communities serviced by South Huron.
