HEARTS AND HANDS ACROSS CANADA GRANDPARENT'S QUILT

HEARTS AND HANDS ACROSS CANADA

GRANDPARENT'S QUILT

Patches are arriving and they are works of art that certainly reflect the love we have for our grandchildren. If you have yet to start your patch, please do so and be part of this wonderful project.

UPDATE: January 29, 2001 - I would like to sincerely thank all the grandparents and grandchildren who have joined hands and hearts in making the Grandparents Quilt project a success. We are still a waiting a confirmation from Ottawa for the presentation....maybe the year 20?? The suggested date of Sept. 2000 was not responded too with a confirmation date. Thank you again for being part of this wonderful project. I just got the quilt back. I will now take pictures of it to send to each person who took part in it. After I had collected over 45 patches the quilt was then put together with the help of both Irma (The Association To Reunite Grandparents & Families and Madelaine (Canadian Grandparents Rights Association). Thank you ladies! The quilt is 55 patches on one side and I now have another 7 patches that will be sewn onto the back side. Patches may be added to the back side as it travels across Canada. Presently the quilt is going to start a journey across Canada . Hopefully each person who gets the quilt will take it to a local mall and get some press and increase public awareness. To be part of this "awareness plan" you must agree to pay for the shipping as the quilt arrives to you and then sent it onto the next person on the list. If you have not talked to me about getting the quilt but you do want it to "stop over", PLEASE contact me this week. The quilt will come to "rest" at the offices of the Canadian Grandparents Rights office in B.C. From there I am leaving it in Nancy's capable hands to present to Ottawa as she see fit in Sept. 2001. The purpose for this quilt, entitled "Hands and Hearts Across Canada " was to bring public awareness of the plight of grandparents and their grandchildren. Along with the quilt was to be a book detailing the need for support for grandparents, however even fewer took part in this. I thank you again for being part of this history making! I set up an online support group for Canadian grandparents who are raising grandchildren or denied access to grandchildren at: Cangrands-subscribe@yahoogroups.com URL to this page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cangrands I hope each of you will join . As per a request from a few grands; No archives files will be kept. Betty Cornelius

Dear Canadian Grandparents;

My name is Betty and am the President of The Association To Reunite Grandparents and Families in Ontario Canada. I am inviting you to become part of a very special project! If you can not; please PASS this along to someone who can!
The "Hearts & Hands Across Canada" is a project on behalf of both denied access and grandparents raising grandchildren in Canada. The Grandparents Resource Center in Denver, CO. is the creator of this idea and have challenged Canadian grandparents to do the same!
We hope to have grandparents from all the Provinces and Territories represented on the quilt and in the book. I believe this is a very important project and would like all of you to be part of this project.
Within Canada in their Spring issues, three leading magazines; Today's Grandparent, Canadian Living and MacCleans are all addressing the grandparent issues. Grandparents time has come!
Also the United States Supreme Court is working on grandparent rights; and we know the Canadian courts are sure to follow suit. It is imperative that the seriousness of the grandparent situations and the problems we all face day to day get to the right people! The United States quilt and book will be presented to President Clinton in June when the United States Supreme Court will be ruling on grandparent visitation.
My hopes for the Canadian quilt and the book is to bring public awareness of the plight of the grandparent and the grandchildren. I plan on presenting the quilt and book in Ottawa on Grandparents Day in Sept. 2000.
The quilt will be made with 50 blocks in the main body of the quilt. The total size of the quilt will be 140" X 140" with each block measuring 14" X 14" (this should be ample space for hand prints). The inside perimeters will hold handprints of the grandparents and the grandchildren that they are raising, with their names in the palms. The outside boundary will contain blocks with hearts with the names of the grandparents written in the hearts and the first names only of the denied access grandchildren.
I will need (along with your quilt block); a 500 word or less essay of your situation to be put into the book which will go along with the quilt. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING IS June 2000. Time is of the utmost importance so that we can get it the book to an editor and publisher.

BLOCK INSTRUCTIONS:

For Grandparents raising Grandchildren:

On a piece of fabric 14" X 14" you need to trace one of your hands and write your first and last name in the palm. If you have a spouse they too will need to trace one of their hands with their first and last name in the palm. Then have each grandchild trace one of his/her hands and write only their first name in the palm.

For Denied Access Grandparents:

If you are a grandparent who is denied access of a grandchild draw a heart (two crossing if married) on the fabric 14 " X 14". Write your first and last name in the heart. Add the names of your denied access grandchildren.

NOTE: If you want to embroider them or decorate them, please do so.

We would love to have all the grands participate in this most prestige project. Please submit your handprints/hearts blocks as soon as possible so I have them in plenty of time to get the sew the blocks together and completed it on time.

We all must do something to protect those rights for our families and our children. If you know any other grandparents who would like to be made part of this project please have them contact me or pass on this e-mail for them to read.

I am a grandmother raising my second granddaughter and denied access of my first granddaughter (my son and two different women), so both these issues are dear to my heart!

A disclaimer for your permission to use your stories and handprints for the quilt and book are below. The disclaimer MUST be signed before you can participate in this project.

Thanking you all in advance for your consideration and help with these most important projects. If you have any questions, call me at: 613-474-0035.

Love Betty Cornelius-President
The Association to Reunite Grandparents & Families
R.R. # 1, Mc Arthurs Mills
Ontario, Canada K0L 2M0
E-Mail Betty Cornelius
ICQ # 20937540

DISCLAIMER for AUTHORIZATION TO USE NAME, PERSONAL AND FAMILY INFORMATION

I, ___________________________, of _________________________, allow the use of my name and personal information provided concerning my children/grandchildren and family, to be used, disseminated, and published by The Association to Reunite Grandparents & Families in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

I give: The Association to Reunite Grandparents & Families; the right to freely use my fabric block with the names on it as well as my story in the "Hearts & Hands Across Canada" quilt and book to aid with the issues of grandparent, juvenile and family related matters.

I agree to hold The Association to Reunite Grandparents & Families and its directors, officers, and employees harmless for any conduct by them in regard to using and communicating personal information about myself and my family.

I have fully read and understand the above authorization. I also understand that I have a right to have this authorization reviewed by an attorney and I have a right to refuse this authorization. By signing below I hereby consent to this authorization and its contents.

_____________________________________________________________
Signature and Address

________________________________
Phone Number

Note from MaMa-Val: If others who wish to take part, but are in my position - in a precarious spot with legal cases and all that entails - I understand that we can omit our last names on the quilt pieces, but we still need to fill in the disclaimer. I think that this is something that we all should take part in.