Quilter:  Ann M. Mason  

Quilter's Notes:  This quilt was completed in May 2001 just before one of our founders and co-leader, Rhonda Oziel lost her fight against this terrible disease.  

When OGCC first started talking about having a quilt for our group, we agreed that it should be more of a banner so that it would be a more portable size for our local events. When I went to the hospital to show Rhonda the quilt fabrics, Susan Butler and Rhonda's family were there.  Rhonda and Susan were very happy with the fabric choices and made some comments on the overall design.  

Because we all knew time was short, I spent lots of time sewing to meet the deadline, which was quite a challenge.  But I sure was glad that I did burn the midnight oil.  The quilt was ready for the fundraising event that Rhonda and her friend Sharon Dondero organized.  Sadly, Rhonda was too sick to attend.  

Her parents took the quilt to show Rhonda.  They reported that Rhonda smiled one of her fabulous huge smiles at seeing the quilt.  Days later, Rhonda passed and her parents displayed the quilt outside on Rhonda's porch while they sat Shiva.  Rhonda's passing impacted us all deeply.  She was such a driving force for educating and creating an awareness about ovarian cancer. 

In a small way, this quilt continues to remind me about Rhonda and her dedicated leadership to get awareness messages to our local women.  We continue to use this quilt at a number of local fairs and exhibits.