Bellamy Mansion volunteers make quilts, ornaments for children’s hospital

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

A Christmas tree and four new quilts adorn the Betty H. Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital thanks to the volunteers at the Belamy Mansion.

The tree is filled with hundreds of ornaments handmade by children in the community. Volunteers also say they had children make the ornaments as a way to give back to their community in a unique way.

“We thought it would be nice to involved children, so that is where the idea came from for making Christmas ornaments in April and June and July,” volunteer Wade Toth said.

Belamy Mansion volunteer Martha Rutter said she hand stitched each quilt specifically for the neo-natal unit. She said children helped color some of the patches on the quilt.

“Having had a child in the hospital for a very long time, it’s a very difficult experience for parents, so it’s just a comfort factor for everybody,” Rutter said.

Volunteers said the ornaments are made at their family fun days each year. The children get to make an ornament to take home and an ornament that goes to the hospital tree.