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CA Senator Robert Hertzberg’s Newsletter 10-01-21
QUILTING FOR COMMUNITY
Periodically, we feature a neighbor you should know, who is contributing to our Valley Community. Often the spark for establishing a needed program comes from an unlikely source – a hobby, stress or a loss. Lizz Leral never imagined that she would be a quilter, nor found a quilting organization. Leral moved to the San Fernando Valley from the East Coast in 2010. By 2015, she met Lesley Dwiggins, who persuaded Leral to learn quilting. Unbeknownst to Dwiggins, Leral was seeking a way to cope with her father's rapid decline in health. As soon as Leral picked up quilting, she knew she found her coping mechanism, as well as her creative medium. She felt that other people could find the same enjoyment and emotional nourishment she did from quilting, if they had an opportunity to learn the craft.
After Leral and her fellow quilters learned that the quilting shop where they often gathered would close, they were desperate to find a way to continue meeting and quilting, and to offer the same opportunity to others. For a while, they took over several rooms at one of their houses. In addition to having a quilting space, Leral realized that the cost of quilting -- sewing machines, fabric, and supplies -- could be a barrier for many who might otherwise want to try the hobby. Leral, Dwiggins and Donna Colleran, another quilting friend, brainstormed how to support would-be quilters. They founded a community-based nonprofit organization -- Quilting for Community. Through this organization, they found clever ways to create a space that was accessible to the community, and accepted quilt and fabric scraps from anyone who was willing to donate.
In 2019, they began teaching free quilting classes once a week. Within months, they achieved their non-profit status and decided it was time to expand their organization. By 2020, Quilting for Community was able to move into their Northridge storefront, where they share space with Kingdom Sewing & Vacuum. The COVID-19 pandemic caused Quilting for Community to pivot to teaching online quilting classes, and for a while, they made masks to donate to essential workers.
In addition to teaching classes, volunteers at Quilting for Community also make quilts for local people experiencing homelessness; donating them to shelters such as Hope of the Valley and the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission. They also save scraps of quilts to make dog beds for the animal companions of people who are experiencing homelessness – supporting both ends of the leash. Quilting for Community's space, called the Q4C Design Center, is open to anyone who is interested in learning, regardless of prior experience with sewing or quilting. Hours and dates of operation are on their website. We salute Quilting for Community for their initiative and contributions to their Valley neighbors.
CD12 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT-7/2/21
This week's Community Spotlight proudly features Lizz Leral, Executive Director and President of Quilting for Community (Q4C), a local non-profit based in Northridge.
Lizz has been a proud resident of Northridge for almost 11 years. Moving from Brooklyn, NY, Lizz and her husband sought to live in an area of Los Angeles that was far enough from the hustle and bustle of city life, but central to the beach, hiking trails, cultural institutions and everything else that the city has to offer. They were immediately drawn to Northridge Village because of the walkability of Reseda Boulevard, friendly neighbors, community of small businesses, and CSUN.
Quilting for Community began in 2017 as an idea with just three people and has grown significantly since its founding. Since then, Q4C has partnered with Kingdom Sewing & Vacuum (8923 Reseda Blvd), providing a great opportunity to offer group activity whilst playing a part in the revitalization of the Reseda Boulevard corridor. Q4C prides itself in offering a safe and creative Quilt Design Center where the community can learn quilt-making with and for the community, free-of-charge. The group delivers their lovingly made quilts to various local organizations such as Northridge Hospital, Hope of the Valley, San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, and Southern California Hospice Care.
The pandemic proved how a community’s response to its members' needs has an impact on its members' mental health. When local restrictions were enacted in March 2020, Q4C members immediately learned to Zoom so that they could stay connected and keep each other in good spirits. They spent the first several months of the pandemic mission-focused, making and delivering masks to Northridge Hospital, the YMCA, San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, and other organizations, fulfilling a critical need when personal protective equipment was in short supply. They also raised funds to continue their partnership with Kingdom Sewing to ensure each entity would continue to exist to serve the community post-pandemic.
Quilting for Community's mission is to build community through quilting, with the teacher, the maker and the quilt recipient all playing a role in making that mission work. Q4C maintains that teaching someone a skillset empowers that person physically, mentally, and emotionally. Members believe that giving quilts empowers those who may have once felt forgotten, alone and insignificant, and that receiving a quilt is akin to a warm embrace. While there are many ways to build community, quilting just happens to be Q4C's way.
Thank you to Lizz and Quilting for Community for your amazing work and for spreading love, positivity, and care into Northridge and beyond! To learn more about Q4C and to find ways you can get involved and support the mission and programs of this volunteer-led organization, click here.
Read Silver Linings of the Pandemic: Southern California Residents Share Where They Found Joy Amidst The Chaos.
CSUN Journalism Student, Genrich Criste interviewed Lesley Dwiggins and Lizz Leral to hear the Q4C story before and during the pandemic. Check it out. Be sure to check out the interactive map and hear full audio interviews.
