Global warming
Belmont women bridge a generational, geographic divide in creating
colorful quilts for kindergartners in rural Armenia
One of her creations provides a backdrop for Genevieve Priest, who at
age 91 is not the senior quilter in a club at the Beech Street Center
in Belmont. (Kayana Szymczak for The Boston Globe)
By Kathleen Burge Globe Staff / June 16, 2011
But the women in the Friday morning quilting club at Belmont’s Beech
Street Center have spent the last few months creating colorful covers
for kindergartners who live half a world away. Over the winter, they
decided to turn their efforts toward a new kindergarten in Hnaberd, a
remote village in the Republic of Armenia.
`The amazing part of it is not a one of them is an Armenian,” said
Richard Boyajian, a retired barber from Quincy whose nonprofit
foundation helps communities in Armenia. `This transcends different
nationalities because people just want to help.”
The seniors began sewing the quilts for the Armenian children after
they heard Boyajian and others who were working to launch the
kindergarten speak about the school. The kindergarten was created
partly to help parents in Hnaberd, an agrarian village, earn more
money working in the fields.
`For the parents to be more financially productive in an economically
and socially depressed area, the kids need to be in school all day,”
said the Rev. Joanne Gulezian Hartunian, who first spoke to the group
about the quilt project. `But they can’t be in school all day without
naps.”
And to take naps, the children need blankets. That’s where the Belmont
quilters come in. Many of them are in their 70s and 80s, and a few are
in their 90s. So far, they have made about eight quilts and hope to
create 20. Boyajian’s nonprofit raises money that buys the fabric for
the women to choose from; they cut out the patchwork pieces and stitch
them together.
Among the quilters are Madeline Kelley, 98. One recent Friday, she sat
along one end of the table before a plate with a frosted doughnut, and
beside her was longtime friend Genevieve Priest, 91, whom everyone
calls Gennie. The two Belmont residents have known each other so long
it’s hard to remember when they first met.
`We took a fabric art class years ago, when that artist came to
Belmont,” said Priest, who was sitting in a wheelchair, breathing
with the help of oxygen tubes. `We made these wall hangings of
whatever we wanted. I even used my wedding gown material. And you did,
too, Madeline.”
`Yeah?” Kelley says.
`You remember; we went to the library. We took classes at the library,
before we had a senior center even,” Priest says. She adds: `So I’ve
known Madeline a long time.”
`Oh, a long time,” Kelley agrees.
The Friday morning group, where women also work on their own projects
and have donated quilts to other nonprofits, can attract more than a
dozen women each week. Liz Malsky, one of the volunteers who helps
newcomers learn the craft, started quilting after a close friend was
showing her old family quilts.
`She said to me very wistfully, `But I can’t do it,’ ” Malsky said.
The two women decided to take an adult education class on quilting,
and both got addicted. Now Malsky makes quilts for the Concord
Piecemakers Guild, whose community-service arm donates them to
homeless shelters, cancer patients, and others.
`The women have been wonderful because they have passed on this craft,
so we can pay it forward,” said Gulezian Hartunian.
Richard Boyajian, 71, created the Boyajian Memorial Foundation in
memory of his brother, Nish, who died of cancer in 1995. He has helped
raise money for playgrounds, scholarships, health education programs
and other services for Armenians, especially those in rural areas of
the country.
Boyajian was in Armenia when his mother died in 2009, and he soon had
an idea for his foundation’s next project, a tribute to her. In the
town of Hnaberd, an old school building had fallen into disrepair.
Although volunteers had built a new school, there was no kindergarten.
`I said, `You know what, if they’ll name this after her, we’ll try to
raise money and repair this building and get it up to a kindergarten
and community center,’ ” he recalls.
So began the Mary Boyajian Parechanian Kindergarten. Boyajian wanted
to use his mother’s maiden name, since their last name was already
attached to playgrounds that his group has created.
Boyajian is traveling to Armenia next month, and will take the
finished quilts with him.
Kathleen Burge can be reached at [email protected].
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/06/16/belmont_quilters_create_warmers_for_kindergarteners_in_armenia/