BLACKSBURG — Warm Hearth Village (WHV) resident Cindy Rethwill, who received a Quilt of Valor (QOV), in 2022, and Jenny Fields of the New River Valley QOV quilters recently coordinated the nominations for six WHV residents and one volunteer to recognize them for serving in the armed services.
All seven quilts were made by the New River Valley QOV quilters.
A Quilt of Valor is a quality handmade quilt that can be quilted by hand or machine. The quilts are awarded to service members or Veterans who have been touched by war to say thank you for their service and sacrifice for this country. A QOV must be a specific size, have the appropriate label, be awarded and recorded. Including this ceremony, 379,981 quilts have been awarded.
The recipients were: Stefan Jaronski for serving in the U.S. Air Force; Joseph Flanigan, Pascal Hovis, Myrl Jones, Kim Kirk (WHV volunteer), and Sanford Ritchey for serving in the U.S. Army and Tyler Will for serving in the U.S. Navy.
“I was very proud to be recognized for what I have always felt was a privilege to serve my country even in a small way,” said Rethwill. “I wanted other Veterans in our village to receive the same honor. I was pleased with how many of our residents came to the ceremony,” she added. Rethwill also recently organized a Veterans Social Group so Vets could gather monthly to talk to about their experiences. Rethwill explained, “For some this is the only form of therapy for PTSD, etc. they may ever get and it’s helpful to have a sort of group therapy.
Recipient and resident Joe Flanigan has a family history of service.
“I didn’t want this for myself,” he said. “I was happy to receive this on behalf of my stepson and dad who were in the Navy, my uncle who was in the Army and my grandfather who was in the Marine Corps. I am saving the quilt to give to my children,” he added.
Warm Hearth Village congratulates everyone on receiving this honor and thanks all Veterans for their service.
Warm Hearth Village
