Quilters donate handiwork to ALERT
<p>Maureen Higgins of Whitefish, Debbi Foss of Kalispell, Sharon Parmelee of Kalispell, Director of Flight Operations Carson Coryell and Kalispell Regional Medical Center Community Relations Specialist Lori Alsbury present the quilt donated to ALERT.</p>
A trio of quilters with the Stumptown Quilt Society gave a “Montana Blessing” to Kalispell Regional Medical Center Foundation’s ALERT Fund on March 7.
Carson Coryell, ALERT’s Director of Flight Operations, named the wildlife-themed quilt destined for auction at the annual ALERT fund-raising banquet on April 28.
Sharon Parmelee and Debbi Foss, both of Kalispell, and Maureen Higgins of Whitefish designed, pieced and quilted the fabric art over the course of two years. From the beginning, they knew they would donate their handiwork to help the ALERT cause - in part to align with a Stumptown Quilt Society tradition, but in part to say thanks for the care Norm Parmelee received through the hospital.
Norm, Sharon’s husband, was first diagnosed and treated for lymphoma in 1998. When he relapsed four years ago, he was admitted to Kalispell Regional Medical Center seven times in eight months.
It was during that period that ALERT I, the helicopter ambulance, got Norm to the hospital so he could be flown to Seattle for intensive treatment. A year later he received a stem cell transplant and, Sharon said, became a new person.
Last year they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary; today he is healthy and living a normal life. This project seemed an appropriate way to give back.
The queen-size quilt, inspired by Bigfork quilter McKenna Ryan’s line of original designs sold through her Seattle-area shop, features Ryan’s appliqué wildlife designs. Twining columbine borrowed from a quilting book stretches over a border of huckleberry fabric.
“The rest was just pencils and us,” Higgins said.
She and Foss drew Teakettle and Columbia mountains with sawtooth peaks of Glacier National Park in the background. A stream flows into a sky-blue lake. Moose, elk, deer and mountain goats roam the landscape. Bear cubs shinny up a lodge pole. Fish jump in the pond edged by cattails. Paintbrush and beargrass dot the forested scene. Pine cones anchor the corners. The longer it’s viewed, the more details it reveals.
Those attending the annual ALERT banquet and taking part in the auction on April 28 will have a chance to get a closer look. The quilt will be offered along with a line-up of other items during a live auction, with a silent auction running throughout the evening.
The event is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit air ambulance service, helping cover shortfalls incurred from operation of the medical transport.
The ALERT Fund supports special needs such as training, avalanche missions or night-vision goggles. This year’s banquet on April 28 will be held at the Northwest Montana Fairgrounds in Kalispell. Tickets for the banquet are $300 per couple and available by calling 752-1710.