Ronks Shop Makes Space For Local Groups

When Linda DaSilva walked into the Quilt Shop at Miller's, 2811 Lincoln Highway East, Ronks, in January, she began a conversation with retail manager Annette Nauman. "I said it was a fun place," recalled DaSilva. Nauman responded by asking DaSilva if she would like to work in the shop. Two days later, DaSilva was back to fill out an application, and she began working in the shop in March.

DaSilva sees the shop experience as being about more than selling quilts. "It's the story of the quilts. It's the community of people who make the quilts," explained DaSilva, who noted that customers often tell staff about the quilts in their families. The sense of community caused DaSilva, Nauman, and fellow employee Barbara Whitney to consider what they could do to give back to others in the area. "We knew we had these wonderful quilting groups locally that do so much charity work," said DaSilva. "We thought, 'Wouldn't it be interesting to feature their things (in the shop) so customers could learn about what (the groups) do?'"

Next, DaSilva contacted Fran Stefany, a member of the Highland Quilters group associated with Highland Presbyterian Church in Manheim Township. DaSilva and Stefany had known each other about a decade, having worked together at Franklin & Marshall College, and this was not the first time the pair had used quilting to help charities. "(In 2011), I was making trips (to Heritage Academy in Ghana) and raising money for supplies (for the school there)," said DaSilva, who would bring back fabric from Ghana that Highland Quilters would turn into quilts and sell at Highland's mission fair. The money they raised provided scholarships and supplies to Heritage.

The Highland Quilters agreed to be the first group to be spotlighted in the shop. Nauman selected a spot where she said customers tend to look right after coming in the door. "We did a quilt for the (American) Cancer Society and raised $17,000 (previously)," explained Nauman. "This is the wall we used for that."

During the month of October, Highland's quilts were displayed in the shop,with 100% of the sales being returned to the quilters. The group waited until the Extraordinary Give in November and then pooled that money with other funds to support both local and international missions, choosing to spread out more than $4,000 to several organizations, including HOPE International and CASA.

During November and December, the Red Rose Quilters Guild of Lancaster are in the spotlight at the shop. The guild works to promote quilting through education, and guild members give lectures and oversee workshops. Currently, meetings are virtual, but the studio, which provides unstructured quilting time for members, is held in person the fourth Tuesday of each month at Hosanna! A Fellowship of Christians in Lititz. More information about the group may be found at http://bit.ly/rrqg-lanc.

Nauman said the shop plans to continue the program, with the next group to be spotlighted in March. Readers who would like more information may call 717-687-8439 or email quilts@quiltshopatmillers.com.