Staten Island Quilters Guild host charity quilt raffle
Members of The Staten Island Quilters Guild have been known to work behind the scenes in their own quiet way. Subtlety seems to be their style.
Known for their great organizational skills, they often shun the spotlight and duck the limelight, but nonetheless they are savvy leaders committed to community and to getting the job done.
In fact, they host a charity quilt raffle every two years or so along with a quilt show where members handcraft — cut, piece and sew — exquisite quilts, all works of art.
This year, members produced an eye-catching blue and white hand-embroidered Irish Chain quilt, which took about a year and a half of diligence and hard before it was completed.
“The drawing for the work of art was conducted at their end-of-year luncheon in June, and the winner of the quilt was one of our members, Gloria Stuart,” notes Ann Nora Conte, secretary of the organization.
As a result, the women choose an organization or cause to be the recipient of the sales of the quilt raffle — and for that particular quilt, this year they selected the Frank J. Reali III Family Foundation and the Michael Affrunti family.
The Frank J. Reali III Family Foundation was founded as the result of the sudden death of Fran and Frank Reali’s 36-year-old son and father of five, who passed away in 2007 due to an undiagnosed heart condition — one that sadly strikes a number of young children involved in various sports programs. The foundation, in conjunction with the Staten Island University Hospital Heart Institute, provides complimentary testing in order to detect the condition.
Michael and Angela Affrunti and their five children were forced to face the effects of a tragic fire in their home in February 2011 and a few weeks later, after relocating into a new apartment, Angela passed away suddenly. Since that time Michael has been struggling to work, take care and provide for his children now ages 3 to 15, including a teenage son with special needs.
Because of the diligence and hard work on the part of members of the Staten Island Quilters Guild, checks were presented to the Realis and Affruntis — each in the amount of $1,600.
Staten Islanders interested in aiding the Affrunti family may contact Janet Manolakos, parent coordinator, Hungerford School, 718-447-2956 or JManolakos@schools.nyc.gov.
The Frank J. Reali III Family Foundation may be contacted through the Safari Realty at 718-442-5200 or by visiting www.frankjrealiiifamilyfoundation.org.