"After months of planning and furtive attempts, LaVerl and I had lunch together yesterday. Though we've worked for the same company for many years, LaVerl retired some time ago and we didn't actually meet until the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last August. We've been planning a lunch date ever since, her busy schedule interfering with that plan as much as mine.
LaVerl isn't a typical retiree. She's channeled her passion for quilting and sewing into making clothing for orphans in remote, Third World locales: sundresses for girls, "jams" shorts for boys. Her medium is practical, inexpensive and readily available. She uses pillowcases as the starting point for each outfit. The degree to which she decorates the clothing with ribbons or buttons is directly proportional to how much support she's receiving at the time. You see, LaVerl does all of this ON HER OWN. She is neither affiliated with nor "beholding to" an organized group. In addition to clothing, she also sews a "Concentration"-like game which stimulates young brains to match like colors or patterns.
After she creates the clothing and games, she schedules and delivers them HERSELF. Recently, she visited orphanages in Costa Rica, Indonesia and Mexico within a period of weeks. The variety and creativity in her work is astounding. The fact that she follows her course on her own, even moreso.
LaVerl, if you have time, can you post some of the photos of the kids you showed me yesterday? They are heart-meltingly adorable! A 2-hour lunch flew by in your company. Let's do it again!
(Thanks to LaVerl's thoughtfulness and skill, I won't be singeing my fingertips on a Texas-hot steering wheel!)"
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