If You Can't Walk the Walk...

Dear Emergency Telecommunications Dispatchers Everywhere:
Please excuse this terse interruption into your day. But if you can't walk the walk with me, please don't waste your vocal chords, breathing air and headset time talking smack about how much you want to help me reach others.
When you send me Emails asking me how you can help me with my quilts for fellow dispatchers and I reply and you are so excited and ready to get going to help and volunteer yourself or your agency to help on the next project, I depend on that.
What frustrates me and never ceases to amaze me is how many of you never follow through and then disappear from my Email altogether when I ask for your assistance. Why bother in the first place?
Are you afraid I won't complete the project? I will be the first to admit, I fell down on four quilts for Hurricane Katrina victims when my health took a turn for the worse and some other health issues hit, but I did write a letter explaining my dilemma and never heard back from anyone. I can't respond to silence!
Then, there are the many others who I received notes from letting me know they received the quilts I made and sent me pictures. I don't make these things up, these are real dispatchers like you are and I reached across the miles and helped them.
They are dispatchers, children, family members of those in need and yet you are still sitting there in your center thinking someone else is going to help Jean, someone else will send her money or fabric and that isn't happening. What? Do you think the fabric fairy is going to come to my front door and magically I will have what I need?
Kevin and the 911 Cares was awesome during the storms and helped me to get the things I needed to continue this important mission I feel compelled to do. What about those of you who told me you were taking up a collection in your center for me? What about the change collection you were personally going to help me with? What about the sponsorship you agreed to do?
I am not asking for millions of dollars, I don't ask for my time to be paid for, all I ask is for you to help with a quilt. I don't use junk fabric, it doesn't last, but I can find great fabric for great costs on line. A typical small quilt is now costing me over $80 plus shipping fees and yet, I have not received one thing from all those empty words you have sent me over the last year.
2009 is upon us. 2008 saw many tragedies within our ranks and I was able to send off 4 quilts and a box of toiletries for dispatchers in need. This year, I am finishing up one now for one of 2008 dispatcher in need and I have already found another person in need and yet, my fabric base and my money is disappearing quickly.
You work full-time, I do not. I cannot find a full-time job at this time, so I fill in my spare time reaching others like yourselves, the unknown heroes, the women and men who hold someones hand over the telephone until help arrives, the women and men who sacrifice family time for work. You are the heroes, but heroes come in all shapes and sizes and heroes don't tell people they will do something and not follow through.
I cannot do anymore to show you I am for real than display letters, send you pictures and receipts or ask you to send me items I need.
I need the following desperately and while not cost prohibitive, the cost add up quickly. Won't you help me help others in need?

2009 Needs:
1- Quilt batting all sizes (mainly full size, quilt size or comforter size) I prefer bamboo batting from Laurel Anderson ($11.99 for 60 x 60) or ask her about the cost of a bolt of batting I think it is just under $300 & would make numerous quilts.
2-Sewing Machine Needles (11, 14, etc) you can get Shmetz needles on Ebay for a great price.
3- Signature or other quality thread (not thread from WalMart) about $5 per spool (regular spool sized)
4- Rotating Cutting Mat ($70)
5-Fabric (I like 100% cotton) Fat Quarters are great sizes and there is a fat quarter shop, JoAnne's or any quilt shop that has fabric on sale and especially novelty prints and beautiful rich colors. (Several yards with priority shipping would be under $50)
6-Rotary cutting blades.
7-New sewing machine, I have 3 and right now none of them are working where I need them to be. A new machine is a huge expense of over $500.
8- Postage fee's ( Each quilt costs on average of $12 to send out, you could help mail 4 quilts for less than $50)
9-Buttoneer with extra fasteners ($12 on Ebay or less)
10-Quilting Rack (Hinterberg Heritage Frame Special - $680)

I realize this is a lot of money for some things, but some of your agencies are huge or you work with other agencies. All I am asking is for your help and for you to walk the walk and stop talking about helping if you have no plans to do so!

The Quilting Dispatcher