News

Raising awareness thread by thread

BY Ana Mantica, Content Editor

Fort Wayne, Indiana (June 8, 2009) — Fort Wayne-native Jennie Blume loves to quilt and loves Vera Bradley fabrics. Six years ago, she proposed creating a special quilt to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.

“Making quilts is something I love to do. It’s fun to be able to do something you love for a good cause,” says Blume, who has volunteered for the Foundation and played tennis in the Vera Bradley Classic Golf and Tennis Tournament for many years. Now, every year, an exclusive “Blume” quilt is built into the Foundation’s fundraising plan.

Vera Bradley proudly displays the quilt at the annual Vera Bradley Outlet Sale before it is raffled off to one lucky person. This year’s quilt traveled for the first time to five Vera Bradley Stores, including Phipps Plaza in Atlanta; The Summit in Birmingham; Leawood Town Center in Leawood, Kansas; Deer Park in Chicago, Illinois; and Somerset Collection in Troy, Michigan. And along with the quilt, Blume attached a cloth to note each location. “Quilts are supposed to have history with them. I thought it would be a nice piece of history to record the quilt’s travels,” Blume adds.

The quilt lay on display at each location for a week and guests had the chance to experience the quilt hands-on. “It was absolutely gorgeous. The patch on the inside talking about the quilt and how it’s made was a really special touch. It really touched guests’ hearts,” said Beth Fortenberry, Store Manager at Vera Bradley at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone was excited to be able to donate to an incredible cause, and they couldn’t wait for the chance to win it for themselves or for a loved one.” At Vera Bradley at Leawood Town Center, one guest even wanted to make a $1,000 donation to receive it.

The quilt will lie on display at the Vera Bradley Spring Outlet Sale at the end of the month, and then move to Vera Bradley at Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and complete its journey at the annual Vera Bradley Golf and Tennis Classic at the end of May. The handmade quilt can be yours! You can enter to win the quilt at any Vera Bradley Retail store (click to locations) until the end of April.