Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center « The Backroads to Road to California

Posts Tagged ‘Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center’

Charity Quilt Hand-Off

Friday, June 30th, 2017

At Road 2017, Road to California sponsored its first Roadies Give Back charity quilt project to benefit cancer patients at the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center at Pomona Valley Hospital .

Before the show, Anita Grossman Solomon created a quilt block pattern just for this project and made it available for quilters around the country to sew the blocks that were going to be used for the project. [caption id="attachment_4662" align="aligncenter" width="528"]

Anita is pictured along with Matt Reese and Matt’s mom, Shellee Reese, an administrator at the Cancer Care Center.[/caption] Then, on Saturday night of the show, quilters, some class teachers, and even a few vendors, got together in the Ontario Convention Center to sew the blocks together into lap size quilts as well as begin quilting the quilts.

After the show, unfinished quilts were given to the Nite Owl Quilt Guild to finish the quilting. In the end, 41 quilts were completed. On June 29, 2017, Road to California owner, Matt Reese, along with his wife Jennifer, presented to the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center the Roadies Give Back quilts which will be given to cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at the center.

Each unique quilt was folded into a Road to California reusable bag, accompanied with a card explaining the significance of the quilt and its care instructions.

While they were there, Matt personally distributed quilts to five patients including:

Joseph Derowen has been a patient at the center since December, 2016. He said that he “really appreciated” the gesture because 99.9% of the time, he is cold when he receives his treatment. He was looking forward to trading his “funky jacket” for the quilt to keep him warm. Joseph’s wife, Elaine, thought receiving the quilt was “very thoughtful” and was grateful that now her husband will be “wrapped in love.”

Joyce is battling Breast Cancer. She knew that the quilts were “a lot of work” and remarked how beautiful hers was. Joyce commented that it was “very generous for the quilters to donate their time and materials.”

Petra de Leon has been battling Lymphoma since April. Petra replied in Spanish, “I am very happy to get this quilt. It is very pretty.”

Ray Hardy told Matt, “No one has ever given me a quilt before. This is cool.” Road to California wishes to thank everyone who participated in this special project. They look forward to offering Roadies Give Back again in the future.]]>

Tags: Anita Grossman Solomon, Cancer Quilts, Charity Quilts, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Roadies Give Back, Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center
Posted in behind the scenes, Other Quilting Events, Road 2017 | 1 Comment »

What’s New At Road 2017?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2017

New Management: Road to California is family owned and operated. For the past 21 years, Carolyn Reese, her three sons and their families, have brought you the 2nd largest quilting show in the United States. This past year, Carolyn Reese retired and turned over the management of the show to her grandson, Matt Reese. Matt has held various responsibilities with the show since he was a pre-teen and for the past few years, has assisted Carolyn in running the show. A recent graduate of the California Bar, Matt divides his time between overseeing the day-to-day operations of Road to California and a budding law career focusing on family law. Giving Back: On Saturday night, attendees have the opportunity to participate in quilt-a-thon to benefit the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center. Roadies will be piecing tops, quilting tops and finishing quilts that evening. The Pavilion: The front addition to the Ontario Convention Center is added each January exclusively for Road to California. Improvements this year to the pavilion include the removal of trees and street lights. The floor will be carpeted and the floor plan has been rearranged to be more accommodating for vendors and guests. New Café: Located at the north end of the Convention Center, under the stairs, it resembles a famous coffee shop that shall not be named. Breakfast will be served as well as quick meal items for easy take and go. The grand opening for the café will be January 20^th, so Road guests are the first to use it. Outdoor Patio: Located near the north doors, there will be a fireplace and comfortable seating – the perfect place to rest and visit. If you are wondering what happened to the food venues that were previously located in the new patio area, the ice cream can be found in the food tent; kettle corn and roasted almonds will be between the pavilion and the exhibit hall. Road to California Booth: Where to find special souvenirs of the show. New this year include:

Artic Cups

Handmade bags made by Carolyn Reese featuring Road to California 20^th Anniversary Fabric

Fold-up Grocery bags

(Note: California now charges for grocery bags. Show them and bring your own Road to California Bag!!)

The Road App: Our new app is easy to navigate. It gives real time announcements and changes to the show plus it allows you to keep your notes from classes and vendors long after the show ends. Before you come to the show, download our app at IOS at www.konnected.co/ios or Android at www.konnected.co/android Don’t worry…if apps aren’t your thing, you can download for FREE the Show Guide at http://www.road2ca.com/2017%20SHOW%20GUIDE%20copy.pdf Please note: A limited supply of Show Guides will be available to purchase at the event at the North and South Info Desks. However, once they are gone, they are gone. We hope our guests will enjoy these changes and look forward to hearing their feedback. ]]>

Tags: Cancer Quilts, Ontario Convention Center, Road App, Road to California 2017 Souvenirs, Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center
Posted in behind the scenes, Road 2017 | No Comments »

Giving Back At Road 2017

Friday, October 7th, 2016

“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Road to California has teamed up with the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center in Pomona, California and Anita Grossman Solomon, one of our Road 2017 Faculty, to make as many quilts as possible on the Saturday night of Road 2017. All quilts produced that night will be given to cancer patients at the center on behalf of everyone participating with this wonderful cause.

The Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center was chosen as the recipient of Road’s night of service because Show Director Matt Reese’s mom, Shellee Reese, has been a long time employee at the center. Roadies have supported the center in the past, casting votes for the award winning video that won valuable donation dollars to the center in 2014. Linda Rasmussen is overseeing the project and the Sew-A-Thon that will take place Saturday, January 21^st beginning at 7:00 PM. Linda has been a volunteer at Road in the judging room for 17 years. She joined Road to California’s staff last year, first as Ribbon Clerk in the judging room and now the Coordinator for Roadies Give Back. Linda says the goal for Roadies Give Back is to supply lap size quilts to the patients of the Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center. The quilts will be made from a block designed by Anita Grossman Solomon especially for Road to California. Road to California fans and attendees throughout the United States and overseas are invited to make the blocks prior to the show. Then, on January 21^st, all of the blocks received will be assembled into quilt tops, quilted and prepared for donation to the Cancer Care Center. During the evening there will be door prizes and raffle prizes along with yummy treats. How can you be a part of this worthwhile event?

Tell a friend.

Share this blog post in an email, with your social media or with your guild. Linda has already started to visit guilds in the area. She says the response “has been enthusiastic.”

Make a square (or two or more!!)

There is no limit to the amount of blocks you can contribute. A raffle ticket will be given for each square donated. We will start accepting squares at Road’s office beginning December 5, 2016. Mail them in, roper them off, or bring them to the show.

Register for the event.

Go to our website and sign up to assist with either piecing (class 9600C), domestic quilting (class 9601C), longarm quilting (class 9602C) or finishing (class 9603C). A nominal $10 fee will be collected at the time of registration. Half the fee will go to directly to the Cancer Center and the other half will be applied to deferring costs for supplies for the evening.

Join in the fun.

Stay at the show after the classes have finished and the vendors have closed. Machines will be provided for the night. Guests are encouraged to bring thread, snips, pins and any other items that makes sewing more productive for them.

We hope you will want to be a part of this very special event. As Linda says, “It is a great opportunity to show support to people who need to know that we are all working toward making their challenge of facing cancer just a bit less intimidating. Something to keep you warm, made with love, showing support, is a visible way to make a difference in someone’s day.” To learn more about Roadies Give Back including getting the pattern for the squares and where to send them when you are done, please visit our website. ]]>

Tags: Anita Grossman Soloman, Cancer Quilts, Road to California 2017, Roadies Give Back, Robert and Beverly Lewis Cancer Care Center
Posted in Other Quilting Events, Road 2017, Road to California | No Comments »