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By: DARRYN BENNETT - Staff Writer
RAMONA -- A mother of two and a Marine wife for 17 years, Heidi-Rose McFadden has come up with a way to use her hobby to raise extra money for struggling military families.
"Our husbands are being taken care of to no end (when they're deployed to Iraq), but we are sometimes forgotten," McFadden said Wednesday. "People will ask, 'What can we send your husband?' and no wife -- especially not a Marine Corps wife -- is going to say, 'What about me?' "
McFadden, a quilter for 12 years, and two other Ramona women, Betty Adams and Susan Johnson, worked a total of 41 hours to handcraft a large red, white and tan cotton quilt with 20 blue stars to sell on the popular eBay online auction site.
The quilt drew an opening bid of $250 in less than 10 minutes on Tuesday and was up to $504 by early Wednesday evening. All of the proceeds will go to benefit the 250 families of the U.S Marine Corps Marine Heavy Helicopter Unit 466 commanded by McFadden's husband.
Nicknamed the "Wolfpack," the transport helicopter unit has been deployed to Iraq three times in the last four years, delivering tanks, artillery and medical supplies to the troops.
The women said they hope to earn at least $1,000 for financially strapped and emotionally burdened families during the 10-day bidding period, which ends on Dec. 21.
Although there are programs available for military families in need, every little bit helps, said Jennifer Skinner, another Wolfpack wife.
"(The Marine Corps) has great resources, they just take time to kick in. If we had our own pool of money to use in the meantime, it would make a big difference," Skinner said, adding that qualifying for military financial aid programs is a lengthy process that involves a lot of paperwork and red tape.
Also, military housing is limited -- there's only one military apartment complex in Ramona -- and child-care programs often have long waiting lists, she said.
McFadden said families sometimes struggle to pay their rent or car payments. Others may not have enough money at the end of the month for groceries or diapers, and military family budgets often make vacations or trips to amusement parks -- things that could relieve a little stress -- out of the question.
"We don't want to see failed marriages and stressed-out children," said Skinner, the mother of a 4-year-old daughter and an 18-month-old son, adding that most people don't realize how hard daily chores, such as unloading groceries while kids wait in the car, can be.
Because McFadden and the other Wolfpack wives aren't an organization, Soroptimist International of Ramona, a nonprofit organization that supports women through service projects, is sponsoring the online auction and managing the tax-deductible donations.
Skinner said they'll wait to see how much money the quilt brings in before deciding how to use the proceeds during the squadron's next deployment, scheduled for sometime next year, but said they would like to be able to pay for at least one outing -- such as a day at SeaWorld -- for all of the Wolfpack families.
Marine wives are often hesitant to ask for help with child care or paying the bills because they don't want to seem selfish or take the attention away from deployed Marines, McFadden said. She said that sometimes her husband, a lieutenant colonel, calls her and asks if she can check on a wife who might not be asking for the financial help or emotional support she or her children need.
"My husband will call and say he's heard from one of his guys that something's wrong at home," McFadden said, "He'll have a guy come to him who can't focus on his job because he's worried about his family."
The Wolfpack families are fortunate this year because the squadron will be home for the holidays, but other military families won't be able to get a Christmas tree or put up their holiday lights this year if people don't offer to help them, Skinner said. And the women offered a word of advice to community members trying to reach out to military families.
"Be insistent. They'll probably try to say they're OK, and they're not OK," Skinner said."We all need help."
-- Contact staff writer Darryn Bennett at (760) 740-5420 or dmbennett@nctimes.com.
How to bid on the quilt or make a donation:
# To place a bid on the quilt, log onto www.ebay.com and type in "Blue Star Quilt Fundraiser"
# Donations can be made out to SI Ramona, c/o HMH 466 Quilt and sent to Soroptimist, c/o HMH 466 Quilt, P.O. Box 1433, Ramona, Ca. 92065
-- Source: Soroptimist International of Ramona
Posted : 2007-12-13 16:55
Marine wives' quilt sells for $2,550
Marine wives' quilt sells for $2,550
By: DARRYN BENNETT - Staff Writer
Bidding 'heated' in last 12 hours, wife says
RAMONA -- Heidi-Rose McFadden thought she was being overly ambitious when she set out to raise $1,000 for struggling military families by selling a handcrafted quilt on the popular eBay online auction site this month.
But when the 10-day bidding period closed last week, the large red, white and tan cotton quilt, embellished with 20 blue stars, sold for $2,550 to a civilian man living in Virginia.
The proceeds will benefit the 250 families of the U.S Marine Corps Marine Heavy Helicopter Unit 466 commanded by McFadden's husband, a lieutenant colonel. Nicknamed the "Wolfpack," the transport helicopter unit has been deployed to Iraq three times in the last four years, delivering tanks, artillery and medical supplies to the troops.
Jennifer Skinner, another Wolfpack wife who helped organize the fundraiser, said the proceeds won't be distributed to families in financial need until the squadron's next deployment, scheduled for sometime next year. She said, however, that she would like to use some of the proceeds between now and then for at least one group activity ---- such as a barbecue or a day at an amusement park ---- for squadron families.
"We don't want to hand out the money haphazardly," she said this week. "We'll wait and see what the needs are when the men leave again."
McFadden, an avid quilter and Marine wife for 17 years, and two other Ramona women, Betty Adams and Susan Johnson, worked a total of 41 hours to handcraft the quilt.
The auction started on Dec. 11 with an opening bid of $250. Within 24 hours, the bids had doubled and reached $504. Then, after four days on the online auction block, the offers slowed and stalled at around $1,500. But the last 12 hours of the auction proved to be the most profitable, Skinner said.
"It got heated and the bids jumped about $1,000 in those last hours," she said.
John Dowd, the winning bidder, was on an airplane during the last 10 hours of the auction when his daughter-in-law called to tell him that he had been outbid by several hundred dollars, Skinner said.
"At that point, he called her and told her she had full rein and to do whatever it takes to win the quilt," she said. "Our auction would not have been as successful without those late bids."
Dowd received the quilt Wednesday. He wasn't available for comment Thursday.
Because the Wolfpack wives aren't an organization, Soroptimist International of Ramona, a nonprofit organization that supports women through service projects, sponsored the online auction and is managing the tax-deductible donations.
Skinner said the Soroptimists have also received several donations for families from people who were outbid during the auction.
Although there are programs available for military families in need, families still struggle to pay rent and make car payments, and Marine wives are often hesitant to ask for help paying the bills because they don't want to seem selfish or take the attention away from deployed Marines, Skinner said in talking about the inspiration behind the auction.
She said the Wolfpack women may try their hand at fundraising again.
"Maybe we've set a precedent for other (military) wives and families to see that they can raise money to meet their needs," she said. "And maybe we'll make some more things to raise some more money in the future, too. Heidi (McFadden) is very creative."
Contact staff writer Darryn Bennett at (760) 740-5420 or dmbennett@nctimes.com.
How to make a donation: Donations for the Wolfpack families can be made out to SI Ramona, c/o HMH 466 Quilt and sent to Soroptimist, c/o HMH 466 Quilt, P.O. Box 1433, Ramona, CA 92065.
Posted : 2007-12-29 10:08
