How a sunflower quilt from Candle Lake is helping people in Ukraine

“I came across this border that’s called the fence post and I thought, ‘how appropriate because the panel was actually the sunflowers in the field and the farm.’ So, I thought that would be perfect.”

In addition to the quilt, Kirychuk made a couple of cushions with the blue and gold fabrics.

Once the quilt was finished, she kept it neatly packed in her home. That is until this past weekend when the Candle Lake Sno’Drifters held its annual 250 rally and were looking for silent auction items.

“I was humming and hawing and asking my significant other if I should donate that for a silent auction item,” Kyrichuk said. “There was some discussion and then this attack on Ukraine came up and then I thought, ‘well, what better way?’ When I donated it, it was initially going to the club as a silent auction to support our clubs.”

However, the executive with the club decided that any money raised from that quilt would go to a cause of Kirychuk’s choice. She decided the money should go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, and the executive agreed.

LISTEN: Kate Kirychuk shares her story of the sunflower quilt

Because the quilt had cost around $250 to make, Kirychuk said she would be happy if it at least made that much in the auction.

Unfortunately, Kyrichuk couldn’t attend the silent auction in person last Saturday as her partner had to be in Saskatoon for a surgery appointment. She was receiving pics of the bid sheet for the quilt and was shocked as she saw the number continue to rise.

“About nine o’clock at night. It was up to $4,000 and then a lady who used to work (with me), she was at the rally and so she was texting me and saying, ‘Oh, it’s gone up to $5,000, it’s gone up to $8,000. I’m just like, ‘whoa, this is amazing.’ I was in such happy tears; I couldn’t believe it.”

At the end of the night, 16 families collaborated to buy the quilt at $12,100.

But the story of the quilt doesn’t end there as the Sno’Drifters put out a challenge to another snowmobile group.

“The Lakeland Tree Dodgers, they were challenged to either meet or beat the money that we raised,” said Kirychuk. “Myself and a couple of their executive members are going there to take some pictures and do the official handoff and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Kirychuk anticipates they will know how much is raised from the Tree Dodgers silent auction by Sunday.

She’s still left speechless that what started as a hobby became a simple act of goodwill that grew beyond her wildest dreams.

“I was just hoping to get more than $250 so it’s a very humbling experience,” said Kirychuk. “I’m very grateful that when I went to Nipawin last June that the fabric was there and I just bought it because it was pretty, not thinking that it would ever escalate to something like this.”

Kirychuk hopes once the quilt has gone through the silent auction this weekend that she can donate it to a family in Ukraine.

—

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock

by Derek Craddock

How a sunflower quilt from Candle Lake is helping people in Ukraine

What's Trending