ABC Quilts was started in response to a "quiet" disaster. By 1988 the AIDS epidemic was raging in the US and had begun to reach to every part of the population. Ellen Ahlgren of Northwood, NH learned through Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, that 3,000 HIV positive babies were abandoned by their parents to the care of hospitals around the country. They were terribly ill, and the stigma of AIDS was such that no one wanted to adopt them.

"Do something!" was the challenge to Ellen, and just as we all long to do something concrete in the face of the disaster of 9/11/01, Ellen felt compelled to do something to ease the plight of these at-risk babies. As a grandmother and quilt-maker, her response was to give love and comfort in the form of a quilt. She gathered her friends, contacted city hospitals, developed guidelines and started, one quilt at a time.

The word spread. In the first year, 200 quilts were delivered. The Network grew, and 2,000 quilts were made and delivered in the second year. 1991, year 3; 20,000 quilts, and the expansion of the definition of "at-risk" to include Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Crack babies, as the HIV positive babies often suffer the affects of their mother's drug or alcohol addiction while pregnant. Since 1988 we have delivered more than 400,000 quilts to hospitals and day care facilities around the world.

Ellen began to see that quiltmakers were involving children in the effort, and that the quilting bee was a great place to talk in an age appropriate manner about how the at-risk babies got that way. She wrote a book called "Kids Making Quilts for Kids", and in nearly done with a teacher's resource guide with comprehensive lesson plans.

ABC Quilts is a national organization with many local coordinators. We welcome donations of quilts, quilting materials, and cash donations for materials and shipping. We are always in need of more Area and Zone Coordinators. Please check our website for the Zone Coordinator closest to you, email us at info@abcquilts.org or call 800-536-5694. Our website www.abcquilts.org, and our guidelines and volunteer opportunities are listed there.

We bring love and comfort to the "quiet" disaster-infants damaged by their mother's behaviors while pregnant. We'd love to end the disaster through prevention education. Another way to help is to contact a teacher in your local school and volunteer to do the quilt-making part while the teacher provides the prevention education part. The kids say that the project touches their hearts, and that's why we think it works.

Love and comfort to you,

Pam Weeks Worthen
Executive Director

Special Note from Jan and Margie
ABC quilts asked that you sign your quilt with the words:
ABC Quilts
Love and comfort to you
First name, state, year
Pam has given us permission for you to add the following to the label:
Made in honor of the victims of 9/11/01 or

This is an American Spirit Quilt to honor the victims of 9/11/01