Senator Hassan Recognizes Barbara Hays of Bow as September’s Granite Stater of the Month

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized Barbara Hays of Bow as September’s Granite Stater of the Month. Barbara leads a group of women at her senior living center who make fidget and lap quilts to donate to local hospital patients and veterans.

When Barbara retired after decades of working at a telephone and communications company, she found herself with a desire to make a positive difference in her community during her new free time. She helped start a workshop for the women at her senior living center in Bow to start making fidget quilts to donate to nearby health care centers. They began to meet twice a month in the community room, each putting together different parts of the quilts. These quilts have zippers, elastics, and different fabric textures sewed on to provide sensory stimulation for patients with Alzheimer’s and other health challenges.

This past June, Barbara put together a Fidget Quilt Showcase at her White Rock Senior Living Community in order to showcase 40 quilts that the “Happy Quilters of White Rock” had made. Afterward, the group donated a total of 70 fidget quilts to the Visiting Nurse Association, Concord Hospital, the Tilton Veterans Home, and the Manchester VA Medical Center.

Senator Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a “Granite Stater of the Month,” constituents can complete the nomination form here.

To read Senator Hassan’s statement for the Congressional Record, see below.

I am honored to recognize Barbara Hays of Bow as September’s Granite Stater of the Month. Barbara leads a group of women at her senior living center who make fidget and lap quilts to donate to local hospital patients and veterans.

When Barbara retired after decades of working at a telephone and communications company, she found herself with a desire to make a positive difference in her community during her new free time. With a friend, she began sewing small lap quilts and donating them to Concord Hospital. During one drop-off, the nurses at the hospital asked if she had ever considered making fidget quilts. These quilts have zippers, elastics, and different fabric textures sewed on to provide sensory stimulation for patients with Alzheimer’s and other health challenges.

Barbara wasn’t familiar with this type of quilt, but she was eager to try a new way to help people. She watched videos on YouTube to learn how to make them, and earlier this year she helped start a workshop for the women at her senior living center in Bow to start making them together. They began to meet twice a month in the community room, each putting together different parts of the quilts.

This past June, Barbara put together a Fidget Quilt Showcase at her White Rock Senior Living Community in order to showcase 40 quilts that the “Happy Quilters of White Rock” had made. In addition, she invited some nurses to join to explain how these quilts can help keep patients’ minds busy, and prevent them from picking at an IV, for example. Afterward, the group donated a total of 70 fidget quilts to the Visiting Nurse Association, Concord Hospital, the Tilton Veterans Home, and the Manchester VA Medical Center.

Barbara’s initiative is emblematic of the Granite State spirit of generosity in many ways. Not only do the fidget blankets make a tremendous difference in the lives of patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but her quilting group also brings people together at her senior living center. Barbara made sure that even those who had no experience quilting could participate, creating a sense of belonging for everyone. I commend Barbara for making a positive difference in her community, and I’m sending the “Happy Quilters of White Rock” my well-wishes as they start another round of quilt making this year.

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