We are nearing our deadline for squares to be sent in to Diana. If you have not done your square yet, it is not too late, but don’t tarry…time is going fast. And as so many people say, "Time is money." In this case the money is for breast cancer research and without quilt squares there can be no auction quilt and no money to donate.

Jeana aka Hiwayaka got busy and managed to get a donation of a bolt of fabric from the Wal Mart in her town. Thank you Jeana. I t is a pink floral fabric and should go quite well with all of our squares.

Although they have not been asked for, Diana has received several monetary donations from members in the amount of $37.00. She will be fabric shopping this week. This money will be used to help defray the costs of thread, having the squares scanned for the site and other expenses that seem to pop up whenever a quilt is being made. Thank you ladies for those donations.

If you are wondering why there have been no new squares posted recently, it is not because they are not being sent. Diana has had some problems with her computer, her server or Fortune City and has not been able to go to the site to post the new ones. She does have several ready to be posted. At last count, there were 26 squares posted on the big names quilt and more on the other quilts. Everyone send angels her way to help her get to the site…I go into withdrawal on days we don’t have something new to see.

The committee (Candy aka the breadlady and Shirley aka pugowned) are looking at the different groups who do breast cancer research in order to find the best organization for our donation. They have written many letters but have received no responses. If anyone has any group that they think might be interested in our donation and is willing to let us know how they spend their money for research vs administrative costs, please let the committee know their name and address. Thank you ladies.

Elaine has been working hard on her committee to find lodging for us for our trip. Here is her report.

"I have started researching hotel prices for Washington, DC for Oct. 5 thru 8...single occupancy..The prices are high (they always are in October for some reason)....the most expensive I looked at was the Holiday Inn at the Smithsonian (walking distance),,a very nice hotel with 2 restaurants..$149.00 a night!!!

I also looked at Howard Johnson Inn and Ramada Limited. They start at $70.00, but they are not walking distance and have no restaurants. I have stayed at the HoJo and it is very clean, the Ramada is right down the road from it , and looks very nice also. I am sure there are hundreds of accommodations in between (or higher), but this was just a preliminary internet search, and are rack rates. When we get an idea of how many of us are going, who wants single, who wants double, etc, I can call around and find out about group rates. All of these hotels have a variety of discounts...AAA, AARP, etc."

Although the prices seem a bit high, I had been told that they would be higher so was pleasantly surprised to find that my sources were not correct!

Anyone who is planning to make the trip, please send Elaine an e-mail so she can start working on getting the good rates for a group. She also needs to know if you will want a single or a double room.

COMMITTEES are growing but we can still use volunteers.

1.) Quilts -- Diana (calico) She will be putting those squares together soon so get them to her as soon as possible.

2.) Publicity -- Lala She has done a fantastic job of finding addresses and writing letters and e-mails. If you have any names and addresses for her, please let her know.

3.) Research --Candy (the breadlady) and Shirley (pugowned) have agreed to co-chair this committee. They have sent letters to several groups asking for information about how money is spent on research but have not heard back from any of them yet. Let them know of any research that is being done for Breast Cancer and the organization who is doing the research. We want to give our money to the one who will spend the money for research and not for office staff.