Creative Ways to Volunteer – Quilter Shares Talents with RARE!

Maggie Lewis / August 8, 2024

When people think about volunteering for any organization they often wonder, “What do I have to offer?”

Quilter/RHS Alum Julia with Aurora and RARE Quilt #6_2024

Julia Douthwaite Viglione, RHS ’75, uses her talents and interests to support RARE’s Scholarship winners, as well as impacting aspiring young writers. Upon retiring from a career as a professor of French at the University of Notre Dame, Julia put her quilt making and writing skills to use to benefit our community.

Leah’s RARE Quilt #2_2021

In 2018 she founded Honey Girl Books and Gifts, LLC to share her cozy creations. Of particular interest to RARE members are the Respect Quilts inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as custom-made quilts that she generously gives to RARE’s scholarship winners every year. The scholarship recipients help choose their quilt’s theme to reflect their special interests. This is an amazing gift representing hours and hours of work!

The “RARE” quilt initiative: I am making one or two quilts per year, customized for recipients of the Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity (RARE) scholarships. I love contributing this way as an alumna of Roosevelt HS. Go Roughriders! – Julia Douthwaite Viglione

These quilts are exquisite products of intentional and thoughtful storytelling. Julia shared about some of her process to create the customized RARE quilts. After spending time communicating with each scholarship winner, she searches her own vast inventory and purchases from several black-owned businesses across the country the fabrics to make the squares.

Yuena with RARE Quilt #5_2023 (L)
Elsabeth with RARE Quilt #1_2021 (R)

When delivering the finished quilts to the scholarship recipients, Julia includes a sweet letter explaining the use of colors, images and shapes of fabric used to create the intricate and meaning-filled squares. Encouraging words of empowerment and belief in the recipient’s journey are also evident in the letters.

“The overall care brought to this work speaks of our respect for you, our hopes for you, and our joy in knowing that you will do great things. … May this quilt keep you warm and help you remember your friends at RHS and in Seattle, WA, as you venture into the world! ” – JDV

In addition to quilt making, Julia offers a 12-week workshop for free to students ages 8-12. The workshop called “Write YOUR Story” includes instruction and inspiration on writing and illustrating. Soon Julia will publish some of the stories her students have written in a book titled Five Seattle Stories by Seattle Kids.

RARE is always looking for volunteers who have talents that can be put to good use. These talents may be artistic, technological, organizational, or just good, old-fashioned, face-to-face communication skills. Please consider what you have to offer and reach out to RARE using the Contact Us tool.