Raffle drawing coincides with Oct. 8 toy run benefitting local children
Many hours of handiwork were recently poured into a king-sized specialty quilt created by Logan Piecemakers members for a fundraising effort to brighten Christmastime this year for area children in need through the Logan County Bikers for Santa.
Sunday, the Logan Piecemakers presented the quilt — which incorporates 25 unique Harley Davidson T-shirts from dealerships around the country — to the Logan County Bikers for Santa representatives, who are now selling raffle tickets for the quilt prior to the drawing that coincides with their fourth annual toy run, slated for Saturday, Oct. 8.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to the Logan Piecemakers for this quilt. It turned out beautifully,” Jerry Snapp said while accepting the donation on the group’s behalf. “I think their efforts and creativity will really give us a large boost for our toy run, with 100 percent of funds raised staying here locally, going to the Lutheran Community Services to support needy children.”
“It’s been a big effort to get the T-shirts, and it was really fun to see the quilt come together,” said Logan Piecemakers President Yvonne Siler, who with her husband, Tom, contacted approximately 300 Harley Davidson locations around the country during the last year, seeking the T-shirt donations.
“We are hoping to raise a lot of funds for Logan County Bikers for Santa through the raffle. It will be a really neat collector’s item quilt, and quite valuable, considering each T-shirt would retail at $40, plus the cost of quilting the piece.”
The quilt features T-shirts from Harley Davidson locations in California, New Mexico, Minnesota, Tennessee, Georgia, New Hampshire, Maine and Maryland, to name a few, all incorporating designs unique to those sites.
Raffle tickets for the quilt are currently on sale for $10 each or three for $20, available by contacting “Logan County Bikers for Santa” page via Facebook. A total of 500 tickets will be sold, with the drawing planned for 3 p.m. Oct. 8, at Desperados’ (the winner does not need to be present to win).
Oct. 8, activities for the Logan County Bikers for Santa’s fourth annual toy run kicks off with registration beginning at 9 a.m. at the Bellefontaine Moose Lodge, 912 S. Detroit St. The cost to participate is $10 per person, or a new, unwrapped toy of equal value.
The ride begins at 11 a.m., rain or shine, led by Mr. and Mrs. Claus for a scenic ride through Logan County. The ride ends at at Desperado’s, 6857 Lima St., Huntsville, for a free meal for all paid participants, along with entertainment and the raffle.
Last year, $9,000 cash and $2,000 worth of toys were donated to Lutheran Community Services, Snapp said. In total for the three years of the toy run so far, approximately $20,000 in cash and toys has been raised for the non-profit organization.
After all of the time spent during the last year on the quilt endeavor, sending out letters and seeking T-shirt donations, Mr. and Mrs. Siler are excited to see the project come full circle.
In recent weeks, Yvonne said she dedicated between 50-60 hours to designing, piecing, sewing and putting the quilt together, while also beginning a new school year as a teacher working in the Columbus area.
“It’s a very meticulous process of measuring and ensuring that everything is centered and perfectly-sized; if one piece is not perfect, then that will affect the entire quilt,” she explained.
Dwight Hansen provided the long-arm quilting for the piece, which also features a Harley Davidson design, and spent about 25 hours quilting and three hours getting the large-sized piece set up and ready to go.
Further details about the quilt and toy run are available on the “Logan County Bikers for Santa” Facebook page.