Hope Women’s Center, a crisis pregnancy agency, received an early Christmas present Monday with the presentation of baby quilts.

The over 80 members of the Upcountry Quilter’s Guild created about 100 small quilts which they donated to the center to help keep babies warm during the coming cold months, Cynthia Oliver, community service chairwoman for the guild, said. “We always do a community service project every year, and we thought about giving baby quilts to the Hope Women’s center,” Oliver said.

Judy Pace, director of the center, said that the quilts are a welcomed gift to the non-profit organization which exists solely on donations from area churches, businesses, Christian academies, and private individuals.

“These beautiful quilts will help keep a lot of babies warm this winter,” she said.



Hope Women’s Center, which has been in Pickens County for about 15 years, is a free service that focuses on helping women enduring a pregnancy that is in a crisis stage, Pace said.

“The majority of (our clients) who come in are between 15 and 19 years old,” she said. “We have even had one who was 12 when she became pregnant and gave birth when she just turned 13.”

The center offers free pregnancy test and education on pregnancy and prenatal development, Pace said. In addition, women are offered individual counseling on relationship and abstinence and peer-counseling during the pregnancy. There is also referrals to other Christian ministries and community agencies for medical, legal, financial and adoption advice, and information concerning shelters or homes, she said.

Following the birth of the baby, Hope Women’s Center assists young mothers in providing diapers and supplies for the child and educating the women in nutrition and caring for the baby, she said.

“We try to help mothers become good parents in raising healthy babies,” Pace said.



Oliver said that the Upstate Quilters’ Guild meets monthly and offers a summer retreat for anyone interested in either improving their quilting skills or wish to learn the art of quilting.

Advance quilters are now studying computer quilting while beginners are learning new techniques, she said.

The gift of baby quilts to the Hope Women’s Center is the guild’s giving to the community, she said.