When Christopher Soria Mendoza was a kid, he moved a lot – going from one household to another while facing the many challenges that accompanied being in the foster care system from the age of 11.
Today, Mendoza, 21, is studying kinesiology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he was among nearly 100 current and former foster students who recently received an unexpected gift to acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments: they were each given a one-of-a-kind handcrafted quilt.
“I moved so much [while growing up] that I lost all the childhood blankets [and toys] that I ever had,” said Mendoza. “Getting something like this [quilt] is a very special and beautiful thing.”
More than 150 unique and colorful quilts in an array of patterns, designs and sizes – from small wall hangings to queen-size bedspreads – were unveiled amid smiles, surprised gasps and even a few tears during a recent holiday gathering for the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP), which supports current and former foster youth via CSUN’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP).
About 50 members of TELAS de la Vida, also known as the East LA Stitchers, donated their time, talents and much of the fabric and materials to create the quilts in under four months. It was an impressive effort, as creating a quilt can be challenging and laborious.
More than a dozen quilters were in attendance to meet the students, who selected their quilt from the variety displayed across numerous tables and racks.
“It just brought me to tears – it was such a sweet and heartfelt thing for them to do,” said Amanda Harris, a psychology major. “Quilts are so special, and they get passed down for generations. … A lot of people in my community – [who] are former foster youth – we don’t have a lot of stuff like family heirlooms, so [this gift] is really special and meaningful.
“It’s also just comforting to know that people are thinking about us, thinking about this community, especially at this time of year,” continued Harris. “It inspires us to keep going in school and pay it forward and keep … inspiring others to succeed as well.”
Gloria Flores, a founding member of TELAS, described creating quilts as a labor of love, and said she always enjoys the group’s philanthropic projects, especially those close to her own heart.
“Quilts are very special – I feel when you receive a quilt it’s a gift of love, because there’s a lot of love and a lot of thought that goes into making each one, and I really enjoy doing it,” said Flores. “And this [project] is special, especially in my heart, because I have two foster kids.”
‘Quilts are Art’
The project was the brainchild of Jenna Hernandez, an operations specialist for EOP at CSUN, who asked her mother and longtime TELAS member Diane Velarde Hernandez if she and her fellow group members might be interested in making and donating quilts for the RSP students.
Velarde Hernandez, a CSUN graduate and former EOP student herself, said she was further inspired by the Netflix documentary “The Quilters,” about men in a Missouri prison who make quilts for foster kids. She presented the idea to fellow TELAS quilters in July and they got started soon after.
“I [expected] that we would give out raffle tickets [for the chance to receive a quilt]. I never imagined that we would receive 110 quilts for all the students [enrolled in RSP],” Velarde Hernandez told the 75-plus students and EOP staff on hand for the event. She said TELAS members in the end created 156 quilts, and several quilts were set aside for RSP students unable to attend the Dec. 12 holiday party.
“Quilts are art and the medium is fabric, love and creativity,” she continued.
Studies show that only 3% to 4% of former foster youth go on to earn a four-year college degree, noted Velarde Hernandez. “The fact that you have come this far in continuing your education is a testament to your grit, determination and hard work,” she said.
Velarde Hernandez also described the time-consuming and costly nature of making each quilt, emphasizing the generosity involved in creating so many. She shared a special thank you to her cousin Marlene Martinez Aparicio for her monetary contribution in memory of their niece, Amanda Carlos Scott, a CSUN grad and former EOP student who passed away at the age of 42.
“In some traditions, such as Native American ceremonies, the giving of a blanket is a sacred act to honor significant contributions, symbolizing respect and support of the entire community wrapped around the recipient,” she added. “It is our hope that you feel the love. … We are so proud of you,” she told the students.
“I’m pretty familiar with the history and significance of quilts. My grandmother loves knitting and quilting, so I know how much time it takes to make something special for someone,” said Mendoza. “It hits very close to home for me and it definitely puts a smile on my face to see something handmade, to know that people took time out of their day to make these for us.”
Emili Linares, who earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts earlier this year, is currently a graduate student pursuing her teaching credentials. The quilt she selected goes hand-in-hand with her career ambitions: the background fabric has a red and white checkerboard pattern, which is adorned with several squares each featuring a different classroom-related scene.
“As a future teacher, it’s perfect for me,” said a smiling Linares. “I should be a teacher within the next year, so this will be going in my future classroom. I just love it. … I definitely feel the love and I’m so appreciative of the time the [TELAS] team took for this, gifting quilts for our whole program.”