Keepsake Theme Quilts & Wall Hangings

Meet "The Team"

Back row left to right: Judy, Melissa, Anna, Terri
Front row left to right: Meredith, Kathy, Bonita, Susan, Miracle

Internship / co-op students: Drew and Ashley

All T-shirt quilt proceeds support initiatives which" strengthen the potential of Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth". These initiatives are designed to educate their parents, equip these teens with life skills, encourage college attendance, expose college students to potential employers, and employ teenagers and adults though our social enterprise business, Keepsake Theme Quilts.
See www.deafinitiatives.org for more information about these initiatives.

Our Location

Deaf Initiatives is located at 563 South Dawson Avenue, in Columbus Ohio. This deaf friendly work environment is bright and cheery. The openness of our workroom enhances communication and really makes our employees feel a part of the team. MAP

Keepsake Theme Quilts is a vibrant, productive and inclusive work environment, where sign language is used by all.

group
Melissa, Susan, and Miracle

Setting Goals

The operation of our business is driven by daily goals. These goals are well documented on our activities board. Once completed the employee is required to place an "X" on the board to indicate the completion of the goal. This visual representation of our priorities helps to direct the employees and enhances the ability to act independently. More than 20 student interns have been hired to date, along with a current staff of 8 skilled seamstresses.

drew
Our "intern", Drew

Combined, all 8 seamstresses have over of 200 years sewing experience.

Meet "The Team"

--Kathy-- “I was exposed to quilting all my life by my grandma and always have been interested in making quilts. Everybody works at Keepsake Theme Quilts knows Sign Language. The communication is important to me because we can understand each other easily.” Kathy grew up in Washington CH, Ohio and moved to Columbus 3 years ago. She is currently the supervisor at Keepsake Theme Quilts for 7 ½ years
	--Miracle-- “I enjoy working here because Keepsake Theme Quilts helps me to focus on my work skill and learn from other Deaf people like me." Miracle grew up in Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Ohio School for the Deaf in 2003. She has worked at Keepsake Theme Quilts for 3 years.
--Bonita-- “What makes me to come to Keepsake Theme Quilts is because of the communication among other Deaf employees. This environment gives me a chance to tell my ideas in quilting and enjoy being part of "the team" at Keepsake Theme Quilts." Bonita grew up in New Jersey, raised a family in New York, and moved to Columbus, Ohio after her husband’s retirement. She began working at Keepsake Theme Quilts 1 ½ years ago.
	--Judy-- “One of my friends had asked me to come here to work because I was skilled in sewing. Also because Keepsake Theme Quilts has Deaf employees, I have fun around them.” Judy grew up in Painesville, OH and graduated from Ohio School for the Deaf in 1972. She is currently married and lives in New Albany, Ohio. She has worked at Keepsake Theme Quilts for 3 years.
--Susan-- “I really enjoy working here because of the communication among us Deaf people and this job at Keepsake Theme Quilts is perfect for me.” Susan grew up in a farm in Ohio and graduated from Mansfield, OH in 1977. She has worked at Keepsake Theme Quilts for 2 years.
	--Terri-- “I enjoy working here because I developed a sisterhood with my deaf co-workers. I have never felt discomfort working here because I can communicate freely with others using sign language.” Terri grew up in Ransburg, OH and has 2 young children. She began working at Keepsake Theme Quilts in 2001.
--Melissa-- “I have always wanted to work at a deaf organization because communication access is there. I feel comfortable working at Keepsake Theme Quilts; the people here are like my family.” Melissa grew up in Bucyrus, OH, and graduated from Colonal Crawford in 1988 and from NTID in 1993. She and her husband moved to Columbus in 1999 and they have 2 beautiful children. She has worked at Keepsake Theme Quilts for 4 years.
	--Anna-- “I choose to work at KTQ because their values are inline with my own. It’s a place I can be proud to a part of and excited about the initiatives we support. After years of searching, I’ve found a place to call HOME!” Anna grew up in Ashtabula, OH and moved to Columbus when she married in 1977. She attended KSU and OSU for business and computers before receiving her interpreting degree from CSCC. She lives with her husband in Westerville and has 3 children and 5 grandsons.
--Meredith-- Meredith oversees the planning of the initiatives. Her background as a small business owner for 17 years gives her the experience needed to successfully coordinate the initiatives. Meredith has been involved in all Deaf Initiatives' programming since its inception in 1998. Meredith has bachelor degree in communication from Ohio University and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Interpreting/ASL Education from Columbus State Community College
	--Ashley-- Ashley, our co-op student, graduated from National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Ashley has joined Deaf Initiatives for her 10 week co-op experience. She has her degree in Web Developer and is helping Keepsake Theme Quilts and Deaf Initiatives to improve their webpage.

We've had exciting month here at Keepsake Theme Quilts! In Februrary, our organization was profiled by The Columbus Dispatch! Click here to view the article