SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – The City of Simpsonville hosted a ceremony for veterans at their arts center, featuring the non-profit organization Quilts of Valor.
The Quilts of Valor foundation honors service members around the nation by presenting them free, unique, handcrafted quilts.
Upstate Coordinator for Quilts of Valor Foundation, Rita Cossio, said the quilts can take upwards of 80 hours to complete.
“Each stitch, that quilter puts in there says I love you, I care about you, and I think you and welcome home,” she said.
Cossio was emotional when speaking about her own experience while she was deployed, and how much receiving this quilt from a special someone has meant to her over the years.
“I myself, received a quilt in March 2019,” Cossio said. “It has been a source of healing and comfort because the person that made it was actually my soldiers angels while I was in Iraq. She wrote me the whole time I was there, and she actually made my quilt.”
Cossio described getting wrapped by the quilt.