Hancock Fabrics kicks off 2nd annual Quilt of Dreams promotion to benefit St. Jude

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC)
Monday, 12 May 2003

Dreams will become reality for St. Jude patients

Did you ever want to be a pilot, or a ballerina? Have you ever wanted to meet your favorite movie star or go on a trip to the Bahamas? Patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital do. And customers and employees of Hancock Fabrics can help make these dreams come true during the 2003 Quilt of Dreams promotion, May 15 through August 4, 2003.

Inspired by artwork drawn by children receiving treatments at the hospital, Hancock has designed 20 new one-of-a-kind fabric patterns. Hancock Fabrics will donate 30 cents of the purchase price of each yard of fabric to help further the lifesaving work done at St. Jude.

Upon purchasing the fabric, Hancock customers will be encouraged to create a lap quilt and will receive a packet of information about the Quilt of Dreams promotion. To help quilters design their original quilts of love, a list of dreams written by the children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will be included in the information packet. The designer can use one, two or all of the dreams to produce their one-of-a-kind keepsake.

At the beginning of August, those customers and employees who have designed quilts for the Quilt of Dreams contest may enter them at their local Hancock Fabrics store, where they will be judged for originality and best use of theme. The winners from each district will have their quilts displayed during a quilt show in Tupelo, Miss., in September. Quilts will also be accepted by the stores for donation only. All quilts will then be given to St. Jude patients, or used for hospital fund-raising opportunities to benefit research at the hospital.

Last year, more than 750 quilts were donated to St. Jude patients and more than $502,000 was raised through various promotions by Hancock employees and vendors.

In addition to helping make dreams come true, Hancock customers can also help in other ways. They can donate $1 and have their name displayed on a pinup in their local Hancock store. Or patrons may purchase a limited-edition quilter's pin for $5, with 90 percent of the purchase price of each pin going to the hospital. All Hancock Fabrics stores nationwide will participate in the Quilt of Dreams promotion.

Hancock Fabrics has been a St. Jude supporter since 1996. The fabrics and accessories specialist has given more than $1 million to the hospital over the years by selling cookbooks and pinups, displaying in-store canisters and conducting an annual Hole-in-One golf tournament in Tupelo, Miss. Their most recent promotion, Quilt of Dreams, was their first national fund-raising promotion to benefit the hospital.

For more information, or to contact St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (ALSAC), see their website at: www.stjude.org