News

Planting the Seeds of Hope

BY Libby Bates, Contributing Writer

Elkhart, Indiana (July 16, 2010) — The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer has found a new partner in spreading awareness for breast cancer research - Mother Earth! The foundation has joined with the Quilt Gardens Tour in northern Indiana to create a new quilt garden inspired by breast cancer awareness pattern Hope Garden to support raising funds for a cure.

The Interlocking Hearts of Hope pattern quilt garden in full bloom.

Bright blooms covering 900 square feet create our Hope Garden Quilt.

The quilt garden is the latest addition to the 2010 Quilt Garden Tour.

Last year, the Foundation showcased a fabric quilt in Hope Garden in the tour. This year, the Foundation has transformed the pattern into a real garden!

Planted on a sloped hillside of Wellfield Botanic Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana, you’ll find the 900 square feet of bright blooms that create our Interlocking Hearts of Hope quilt garden. The quilt garden is the latest addition to the 2010 Quilt Garden Tour, a series of 17 garden murals in seven communities across northern Indiana based on the designs of fabric quilts.

Vera Bradley Sales Consultant Patti Pine has taken part in the project from the beginning. “We visited the area a few times to scout out the location,” Pine says. “When it was time to plant, there were about six of us planting 8,000 flowers!” The team of dedicated volunteers has now finished planting the quilt, and wildflowers and grasses are planned to spruce up the surrounding slope. “It’s amazing how you start something and it just grows,” Pine says.

Dedicated to the Vera Bradley Foundation, the quilt garden is the result of a beautiful design, hard-working volunteers, and a united fight against breast cancer. Local artist Diana Bennett from Millersburg, Indiana designed the Interlocking Hearts of Hope quilt pattern garden. Like many women, Bennett has been touched by breast cancer within the lives of her friends and family, and wanted to donate her time, effort and skills to help support research for a cure. “I saw this as a way to contribute to the fight against breast cancer and the search for a cure,” says Bennett. “This is a way that could raise more funds than I could personally afford to give.” Bennett was inspired by the 2009 breast cancer awareness pattern Hope Garden, and with exclusive permission, became the first non-employee allowed to use a Vera Bradley fabric.

The quilt design was inspired by how breast cancer links together survivors, victims, friends, and family. Bennett reflected on the battle of those diagnosed and how their loved ones band together to provide support, love and faith. “The Interlocking Hearts of Hope represent all who’s hearts have been touched by cancer in some manner,” Bennett says.

The Interlocking Hearts of Hope quilt garden is a part of Hope Along the Heritage Trail, a special partnership with the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau (ECCVB) and the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. “We really combined efforts for the event,” Pine says. “Wellfield Botanic Gardens donated plants and helped with the planting, the ECCVB provided the event, and Vera Bradley helps attract visitors—it is a win-win for all parties!”

The Quilt Gardens Tour has been brightening northern Indiana since 2007. Originally just in two locations, the tour, created by the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, has now grown to seven locations, 17 garden murals, and a total of 90,000 flowers. The tour is the only one like it in the nation, and its uniqueness attracts many people to the area through its running dates of Memorial Day through October 1, 2010. Visitors from across the country have traveled to explore the trail, and the American Bus Association (ABA) has declared the tour as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2010, an honor that carries on from last years’ designation as well.

The partnership between the ECCVB and the Vera Bradley Foundation highlights both local talent and widespread support in the fight against breast cancer. In addition to the fabric and garden quilts, artist Jeff Stillson also used the Interlocking Hearts of Hope pattern to create a mural. Retailers are working together and holding special events in stores to celebrate the partnership, showcase the quilt, and sell Vera Bradley Totes in Hope Garden packed with Vera Bradley items and local treats. The fabric quilt has been on display in local retailers in northern Indiana since April. Raffle tickets are available for purchase for two dollars with all of the proceeds benefitting the Vera Bradley Foundation.

The quilt showcase and opportunities to purchase raffles will end in September at 2 for Tea, an event at the Goshen Hospital. The event, co-sponsored by Goshen Hospital, is the result of the collaborative efforts of six Vera Bradley retailers. “These retailers are each other’s competition, but are really coming together for this event to benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation,” says Pine. “Some of the retailers sell clothing and others have florists, and they are each pooling their resources and donating for the event.” A fashion show, a silent auction and desserts are all part of the event and the lucky winner of the quilt raffle will also be drawn and announced.