November 9, 2007

Quilt Block Challenge Underway for SimmonsCooper Cancer

Institute at SIU

Quilters in central Illinois are being invited to participate in the “Pieces of Hope” Quilt Block Challenge to benefit SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute (SCCI) at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.
Quilters are to complete a 12½-inch block, using one of two challenge fabrics, which are available at 10 participating quilt stores.  Additional guidelines are available online at the institute’s Web site, www.siumed.edu/cancer.  Completed blocks are due February 15, 2008.

Several quilts will be made from donated blocks and auctioned at SCCI’s Denim and Diamonds, an annual fundraiser held October 18, 2008 in Springfield.  Remaining blocks will be used to make lap quilts or quillows to be given to patients undergoing treatment.

“I wanted to get involved with this project because we’ve all been touched by cancer, including my own family,” says Lois Weissberg, co-owner of peace & Appliqué in Rochester.  “But more importantly, the new cancer institute at SIU will bring cancer research right here to our area, complementing the medical care already available.”

The participating quilt shops are -- peace & Appliqué, Rochester; Calico Heart and Sew Unique, both Springfield; Peddler’s Way Quilt Co., Washington; The Quilt Corner, Morton; Quilters Delight, Clinton; Cozy Corner, Metamora; Sewing Studio, Normal; Prairie Points, Peoria; and Cotton Stitches, Pekin.

The SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU offers state-of-the-art treatment for patients in central and southern Illinois as well as facilities for cancer research and physician and public education.  Next summer, it moves to a three-story, $21 million facility in Springfield.
For more information, including challenge rules and examples of quilt blocks, go online to www.siumed.edu/cancer/outreachpages/quilt.html.

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