Caroline Plyler displays one of the 1048 Helping Hands quilts - this one designed by group member Wilma Ahrens.
Best wishes to all dads this Sunday, Father’s Day. Hope you have a wonderful,
relaxing day and get waited-on hand-and-foot! Or if you need a little exercise on the first day of summer, take your family to the annual Open Garden Day at Davidson’s Methodist parsonages from 1:30-3:30 p.m. The Seymour garden on Pine Road and the Hassel garden at Lorimer and Woodland streets will be open for viewing. Besides garden tours, Around Davidson today brings a salute to the women of Helping Hands. And we congratulate another new UNC Charlotte graduate: Dr. Lina Soares. In Noteworthy Notes, an item about the Dunlap family.
HELPING HANDS, ONE QUILT AT A TIME
Helping Hands quilters (from left) Ruth Gardner, Caroline Plyler and B. G. Jones with The Pines' Activity Director Amy Smith.
More than a decade ago, Pat Sailstad and B.G. Jones had an idea. Why not gather some of the extra fabric stored in closets and cupboards all over town and make it into something useful? A small group of determined women, with initial start-up funding from the Davidson College Presbyterian Church, brought needle and thread for their weekly work sessions at the Senior Center (the old Depot on Jackson Street). Calling themselves, the “Helping Hands,” they cut, pieced and sewed the donated fabric making beautiful hand-tied quilts which they delivered to the Women’s Shelters in the greater Charlotte area. Their hope was that these washable coverlets could travel with the women and children when they left the shelters and found housing of their own – becoming bed linens for families who had few possessions.
Over the years, Helping Hands outgrew the Depot as members needed more work and storage space. About 10 years ago, Eddie Muller, director of The Pines at Davidson, stepped up and offered an area in the retirement center’s Craft Room. (Eddie called these ladies “Busy Bees” and remarked often about the wonderful fellowship they enjoyed.) About this time, Davidson resident Caroline Plyler took leadership of the group, finding that Helping Hands became a favorite Tuesday morning activity for residents of The Pines as well as women in the community. In addition to quilts, this faithful, dedicated team of women even branched out: knitting and crocheting caps for newborns as well as lap robes as gifts to many at The Oaks who were confined to wheelchairs.
Although the Helping Hands took summers off, they continued to look for fabric and gently used sheets that could be used as quilt backing. Sadly, over the past 15 years many of the members passed away or found that limited eyesight kept them from being able to help. Thus, Caroline and the group decided to fold their last quilt, cover the sewing machines, and put the lid on their sewing baskets.
The Helping Hands were honored last week with a breakfast at The Pines recognizing their hours (and years) of work that resulted in 1,048 handmade quilts for battered women. What a tribute to volunteerism! Kudos to each Helping Hand – we applaud this remarkable effort enriching the lives of women in crisis.
(A further note: Eddie Muller continues to have space available in the Craft Room at The Pines if someone from the community would consider coordinating this effort next year. Please contact Pines’ Activity Director Amy Smith at 704-896-1100 for further information.)
LINA SOARES EARNS A PhD
With cap and hood in hand, Dr. Lina Soares is off to Georgia Southern U.
Congratulations to Lina Soares who received a PhD in curriculum and instruction last month from UNC Charlotte. Lina’s concentration was in K-12 literacy. She has been a doctoral student at the Charlotte campus for more than four years while carrying a full teaching load in the gifted literacy and math program at Mooresville Intermediate School. What a proud moment for her as she walked across the stage receiving her hood and diploma. On hand to cheer for Lina were her children, Forrest and Lacy, as well as her mother, Hope Bell. Another proud moment was the news that she has found a wonderful job at Georgia Southern University where she will teach graduate and undergraduate courses for education majors. She will move to Statesboro later this month.
Lina grew up in Davidson. She was a toddler when her parents, Hope and the late Jim Bell, moved here in 1953. Lina’s children were born in California but following her husband’s death, she returned to North Carolina and raised her children here. Today Forrest Soares is a junior at Colorado State and Lacy Soares is a senior at the University of South Carolina. Lots of hard work certainly has paid off for you, Lina. Good luck as you leave us for your new job.
(A further note: As many know, Lina is a dog lover. She cannot take her seven year old black lab, Bear, or her three year old German shepherd, Bruder, with her to Georgia. Both dogs, neutered and up to date on shots, need new homes. Call Lina at 704-892-8433 if you can take one or both.)
DIGGING IN DIRT PAYS OFF
You'll know you are at the right home when you see the Seymour sidewalk!
For the past half-dozen years, Betsy Seymour and her husband, Jody (senior minister of Davidson United Methodist Church), have opened their Pine Road gardens to family, friends and anyone who wants to stop by. The moment they moved into the DUMC parsonage at 421 Pine Road, Betsy got out a shovel and started to work. Now she has a “digging partner” in Associate Minister Jeff Hassel. This weekend Betsy and Jeff will have their gardens on tour in a joint effort they are calling Open Garden Day.
On Sunday afternoon, June 21, anyone who stops by (1:30-3:30 p.m.) will be treated to front and back yards full of color at the Seymours. Betsy is particularly proud of her hydrangeas (nearly 100 plants) and plentiful day lilies. Her gardening skills even addressed the ground between the sidewalk and asphalt which is full of blooms – and reached over to take in the same space in front of Bobby and Beth Cashion’s home. An amazing sight!
Jeff Hassel loves to garden, as his yard shows.
After viewing the Seymour yard, stop by Jeff and Julija Hassel’s – the old Lefty Driesell home at Woodland Street and Lorimer Road. (Apologies to newcomers when old timers like me refer to homes by former residents’ names instead of house numbers.) When Mark Conforti was reassigned and Jeff Hassel came to town as DUMC’s new associate minister, he began to dig at 139 Woodland St. In one short year he has transformed his parsonage yard into a showplace – although many of the plants are still young. Do stop by and visit with Jeff, hear about his love of gardening and maybe even meet the dogs he and Julija own.
What a nice relaxing way to greet friends, enjoy the outdoors and celebrate Father’s Day and the beginning of summer.
NOTEWORTHY NOTE
Always nice to visit with Jim Dunlap, a resident of The Pines. Although sight impaired, Jim keeps up with everything. Last week he shared the news that his 15-year-old grandson, Blake Dunlap, won the state single’s championship in tennis for his age group. His parents, Kathy and Burt Dunlap, and younger brother, Joel (12), live on Lake Norman and play tennis every chance they get. Both Joel and Blake are students at Statesville Christian School. Another example of hard work paying off. Congratulations to all the Dunlap family.
Send us your news
Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.
