Programs
Quilts for Survivors
Honouring Survivors with gifts of healing and care.
Quilts for Survivors was founded in Ontario by Vanessa Genier as a symbol of support and respect for Indian residential school Survivors.
Orange Shirt Society has partnered with Vanessa to run a Cariboo Chilcotin branch. A community-led initiative bringing together quilters, volunteers, and organizations across the area to gift handmade quilts to Survivors of Indian residential schools, day schools, and the 60’s scoop in the region—each one a symbol of respect, warmth, and love.
A Gift That Says: You Are Seen, You Are Loved, You Are Not Forgotten
This project began with a simple intention: to surround Survivors with something made just for them, something that offers comfort, care, and recognition for the strength they carry.
Quilts are gifted with no cost to Survivors. There is no catch, no deadline, and no form of eligibility beyond your story and your truth. If you are a Survivor, you deserve to be honoured.
More than fabric and thread
How it Works
Request a Quilt for a Survivor
Family, friends, caregivers, and community members can submit a request on behalf of a Survivor. Survivors may also request one for themselves.
Receive a Quilt
Once a request is received, our team works to match the Survivor with a handmade quilt created by one of our volunteers. There are several ways to receive a quilt: privately; in a group, facilitated by a knowledge keeper; or in community healing circles. Our goal is to work with Survivors to ensure their needs are served.
Made With Heart
Every quilt is made by volunteer’s hand. The makers do this to honour you—no one profits, and no one expects anything in return.
Real Impact
Since OSS’s Cariboo Chilcotin branch of Quilts for Survivors started, we have gifted over 120 handmade quilts to local Survivors. Our dedicated volunteers continue to support the creation of quilts that are then gifted with care and intention, often in ceremonies that center the Survivor, while providing a safe space to share their truth.
“When I received my quilt, I cried. I felt like someone finally saw me, not just as a Survivor, but as a person who lived through something and is still here.”
Quilt Recipient, 2023
Join the Movement
Are you a quilter or community group looking to get involved? Help us honour more Survivors, one quilt at a time. We welcome donations of quilts or quilting materials. Beginners and experience quilters meet weekly. Bring your team for a professional development day, focused on learning and reconciliation through action.