Joanne Lester always wanted to be a nurse. After 30 years of coursework, she received her doctorate in nursing and has primarily taken care of breast cancer patients since. One day, she asked a few patients of hers to help make some quilts to decorate the bland walls of her clinic. Three years later the James stitching sisters was formed.
Initially, the group’s goal was to make a lap quilt for each patient receiving chemotherapy. That first year, Joanne started gathering fabric at sales and began to cut and sew casually in her basement. After receiving grant monies from Komen For the Cure, Columbus Affiliate and the Davis Family Foundation, the stitching sisters have been busy making quilts non-stop. To date, they have created and distributed over 2500 quilts, totes and journals to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients as they begin their treatments.
What once began as a basement project has now grown into a bona fide nonprofit organization, as the group has recently moved into their own office space in Dublin due to the generosity of Frank Kass and Nationwide Realty. They also have a small army of men and women who volunteer their time to help with the project. It looks as if there is no stopping in Joanne’s future; when asked what she’ll do now that she’s been recognized as one of sunny 95’s “20 Outstanding Women you should Know,” she says, “nothing different … I’ll keep quilting with the gang!”
To learn more about The James Stitching Sisters, visit: stitchingsisters.org ▪