Gratitude – it may seem a simple thing, but for the Nye County Valor Quilters, showing appreciation to those who gave their service to the country is what it’s all about.
A nonprofit chapter of the nationwide Quilts of Valor Foundation, the Nye County Valor Quilters, have spent the last nine years putting their skills to work to create Quilts of Valor that are presented with all due pomp and circumstance to former military service members who have been nominated for the honor.
Each one of these quilts is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece made with plenty of love worked into every stitch and they come with their own affixed label listing the names of those who participated in their creation. The joy these quilts bring to recipients is more than evident during the emotional, sometimes teary ceremonies at which they are presented.
The Nye County Valor Quilters’ first bi-annual Pahrump Quilts of Valor Presentation of 2025 took place at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 29 inside the Bob Ruud Community Center. Group president Elba Rocha was joined by a host of fellow quilting volunteers, along with supporters of the cause and friends and family of the day’s honorees, all of whom packed into the venue to enjoy the ceremony.
Rocha welcomed the crowd before introducing the Marine Corp League Detachment #1199, which performed the presentation of the colors while the audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Local entertainer Mary McRory lent her voice to the ceremony, singing the national anthem and Pastor John Biggs from Saved by Grace Lutheran Church provided the invocation.
Then it was almost time to turn to the presentation ceremony but first, Rocha had a few words to offer the veterans. Though the Quilts of Valor are certainly beautiful to look at, Rocha emphasized that they aren’t made so they can be left untouched. Rather, they are meant to be put to use just as any blanket would and they come with care instructions to ensure that they can be kept properly clean. Rocha jokingly added a warning to veterans, remarking that the quilts are often the target of unsuccessful attempts by family members to steal them for themselves.
After the presentations came to a close and all of the recipients were snuggly wrapped in their brand new Quilts of Valor, they were able to take photographs with their friends and family while snacking on a few of the refreshments the Valor Quilters had provided especially for the occasion.
The national Quilts of Valor Foundation was started in 2003 by military mom Catherine Roberts, who was inspired by a dream that she has managed to turn into a nonprofit that reaches from coast to coast. To date, the total number of Quilts of Valor bestowed on America’s military service members, past and present, has surpassed 408,000 and that number will only rise as the hundreds of chapters that make up the foundation continue their mission.
“Our community (quilters, long-armers, points of contact, recipients and donors) includes people from many walks of life,” Roberts stated of the foundation’s core values. “Each of us must promote inclusiveness, respecting the opinion of every other fellow volunteer. Let us always look for the common threads that unite us rather than the differences that could divide.”
The Nye County Valor Quilters itself was founded in 2016 by Pahrump veteran Denise Kearl. As of the March 29 ceremony, the local chapter can be credited with somewhere around 830 Quilts of Valor being presented to veterans of the Pahrump and Amargosa communities.
For more information, to join or donate, contact NyeCountyValorQuilters@gmail.com or visit NCVQ.org
Donations can also be made via checks made payable to Nye County Valor Quilters, P.O. Box 3632, Pahrump, NV, 89041.
To nominate a service member for a Quilt of Valor visit QOVF.org
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com