Chris Donley surprised with special quilt as thanks for organizing ‘Sewing Rosies’

Chris Donley of Van Buren Township was surprised on Sept. 26 in front of the Belleville Area District Library at the Farmer’s Market when a group of Sewing Rosies presented him with a special quilt to mark his service to the community by organizing some 80 people who sewed cloth masks at the beginning of the pandemic.
He carried thousands of masks to clinics and other facilities that needed them. The masks fulfilled a need and he was the facilitator, he said. In a letter to the editor in April 2020, Donley said, they could “get these valuable items to our fighting nurses, just like the Rosies did in WW2!”
Among those taking part in the presentation were Tracey Donley, Geof Bush, Cheryl Parent, City Councilwoman Amy Henry, Lori Day.