WELLS — Throughout the school year, the 86 fifth-grade students at Wells Junior High School have been working on a community service project that not only allows them to give back to the community, but also teaches the students new skills and knowledge.
The project concluded Tuesday, when the students presented first lady Ann LePage with 11 quilts made by students and the fifth-grade faculty.
The quilts will be used by the Veterans Strong program, which is spearheaded by disabled veteran Travis Mills and operates a camp in Belgrade Lakes dedicated specifically for use by wounded veterans and their families.
WJHS math teacher Rachel Kilbride said she came up with the idea for the quilt project after visiting her daughter in Michigan.
“I saw the reactions to a fourth-grade class as they presented quilts to representatives of Miracle Quilts, an organization that donates quilts to wounded soldiers,” Kilbride told the Journal Tribune earlier this year. “The quilts were intended for patients at the Walter Reed Hospital, and I thought, ”˜We could do that in Maine.’”
Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is where grievously wounded soldiers like Mills are learning to live with injuries sustained in the line of duty. The young father and husband from Texas lost portions of all four limbs during a routine patrol in Afghanistan in April 2012.
He was released from the hospital last November and soon started the Travis Mills Foundation. One of his accomplishments is revamping Camp Kennebec into the first-of-its-kind camp in Belgrade Lakes to provide a Maine outdoors experience to wounded veterans. Mills’ foundation has been raising money for the National Veterans Family Camp and hopes to open it year-round. He and his wife Kelsey, who is from Maine, recently bought a house nearby.
LePage said she was asked to participate in the camp and was honored to do so. She said she was impressed when she met Mills, who she described as a “true American hero with a larger-than-life personality.”
Last August, several veterans and their families stayed at the camp, where they kayaked, canoed and bonded with their families, she said. Several more veterans and their families will visit the camp this August.
When accepting the quilts, LePage told the students, “This is a phenomenal project, and it’s greatly appreciated.”
Noting that the quilts will be used by those attending the camp, she said, “I can’t wait for them to see these. This is absolutely everything that is right about Maine.”
She said she was impressed that students were learning things like geometry while also doing something for an important cause.
Also attending the event Tuesday were state Rep. Kathleen Chase, R-Wells, and state Sen. Ron Collins, R-Wells.
“It’s a great event,” said Collins. “It demonstrates how (students) can be effective in assisting veterans.”
Kilbride, the teacher who planted the seed for the quilt effort, said she is proud of the students’ accomplishment.
“I am especially thankful to all the volunteers and fifth-grade teachers who helped make this dream a reality,” she said in an email after the event. “This is certainly one of the highlights of my 37-year teaching career.”
Fifth-grader Indigo Looper said the project was “pretty fun.” He said he liked that it was a learning experience ”“ he learned both math and sewing skills ”“ as well as a community service project.
“The cause is great,” he said.
The quilting project “was cool,” said student Mallory Aromanao. “I never used a sewing machine before.”
Student Tori Haywood said she liked picking out the fabric for her quilt square and also said it was “for a good cause ”¦ to help other people.”
For more information about the camp and the Mills foundation, visit www.travismills.org.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com. Tracey Collins is a reporter for Making It At Home, a weekly publication of the Journal Tribune, and can be reached via the Journal Tribune at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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