It all began with the Harley Davidson raffle quilt. When Mary and I met with Cherokee to discuss the quilt, she mentioned the Ride of Honor and suggested we might be able to collaborate with them. With contact information in hand, I reached out to Mary Ann Avery. It quickly became clear that we shared the same vision for supporting veterans. After discussing this with Jennie, the Queen Bee of the newly formed Patriotic Bee, we decided to present Quilts of Valor (QOV) at the Ride of Honor Ride-In, which took place the night before their fundraiser and veterans’ ride. We proudly presented 7 QOVs, and the response was overwhelming—it was a huge success!
In January, I was informed that we had been nominated for an award from the Ride of Honor foundation. I was asked to submit a letter outlining our Patriotic Bee’s work and how we would use the award money. In February, I received the exciting news that we had won the award, and there would be a ceremony held at the Trolley Center downtown.
On February 25th, Marilyn Hooton, Mary Selecky, Katherine Saunders, and I attended the ceremony, where I had the honor of accepting an award and a plaque on behalf of the TRPQG Patriotic Bee. It was a wonderful event, and all recipients were invited to say a few words. The funds will be used to continue our efforts in supporting veterans.
I was truly honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of the TRPQG and the Patriotic Bee. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone in our guild for your dedication, commitment, and support. It’s because of all of you that we continue to succeed as a guild.
Sincerely,
Duane Carpentier
Leadership Team
