After putting the final stitch on her quilt, Margaret Mauger laid down her needle and cried.
The warm, soft cloth map of Nova Scotia was a comfort and release for her. She had devoted hundreds of hours to it since April.
Every day after work for three months, she curled up in her Shubenacadie home, put on an old hockey game or some music, and reached for the needle and thread.
Margaret says “After the mass shooting happened, there was such an intense energy that you felt in our community,” she said. “I just felt a compulsion — I need to do something, because we’re all struggling with this.”
And now, Margaret is ready to pass her quilt to a new owner in support of a project she holds even closer to her heart: free trauma counselling for anyone who needs it.
In January, she co-founded a new non-profit organization called the After Trauma Empowerment Network (ATEN). The organization supports people who’ve experienced accidents, traumatic medical procedures, or any kind of abuse, intergenerational trauma or violence.
They will soon start selling raffle tickets for a draw to win the hand-stitched piece they’re calling the “Nova Scotia Strong quilt of hope.” She plans to sell tickets at several locations in the community and on the ATEN website.
The draw for the quilt will take place in November. Full details below:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/quilt-raffle-nova-scotia-mass-shooting-1.5703982?cmp=rss
Great work Margaret!
-Ian
Credits: cbc.ca
