Fulton County District 6 Commissioner Joan Garner along with Sewing and Quilting classes at the Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility tearfully celebrated exceeding a goal of providing 5,000 pillowcase dresses for young girls and infants in need in Haiti.  In fact, the classes at Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility actually packed and shipped 5,167 pillowcase dresses to the Haiti Care Mission.

The massive project known as “Threads of Love” began in May 2011 following a presentation to over 200 participants in the Mills 3-mile Walk and Health Fair.  Commissioner Garner issued the challenge to the classes to mount the massive project to serve little girls and infants in Haiti by providing 5,000 pillowcase dresses.

Since May, seamstresses, individuals and organizations from six states and Washington DC have contributed thousands of pillowcase dresses to the “Threads of Love” project.  The massive project ended with a celebration filled with tears of joy and love on October 1, 2011 at the Mills facility.

Seniors at Mills were motivated to begin a “Threads of Love” Pillowcase Dress Campaign after learning of the project sponsored by Jon and Anne Obermeyer, founders of the Haiti Care Mission.  The Obermeyers were inspired to begin “Threads of Love” following several trips to Haiti where they witnessed little girls standing in doorways or behind walls without clothing. 

Since the project’s beginning in May, “Threads of Love” has mushroomed to the point that Mills seniors have received hundreds of pillowcase dresses from cities that include:

• Memphis, Tennessee,
• Washington, DC
• Tracy, California
• Apopka, Florida
• Tuskegee Institute, Alabama
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Jacksonville, Arkansas

Commitments to the project also include youth. Eight-year old Indira Napper celebrated her birthday with each of her family members preparing a pillowcase dress in Indira’s honor.  Additionally, Morgan Robinson’s 13th birthday party with friends and family included the collection of pillowcase dresses to celebrate her birthday. Throughout the summer, Morgan volunteered every Thursday at Mills sewing buttons on hundreds of dresses.

Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility is located at 515 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, SE in Atlanta.  For more information about “Threads of Love,” call Lila Womack at 404-523-3353.