'Handmade with love': First Nations veteran in Whitehorse given Quilt of Valour

A First Nations military veteran in Whitehorse has been honoured with a "Quilt of Valour."

Retired corporal Lawrence George was presented with the blanket on Tuesday, at a special ceremony at the Thomson Centre in Whitehorse.

George served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment from 1980 to 1985, and was stationed in Germany for some of that time. After leaving the military, he ended up living on the streets in Whitehorse and is now in care at the Thomson Centre.

"All it's doing is letting the veteran know that there are people out there besides other veterans that remember them, that have not forgotten," said Jim Thomson of Edmonton's Royal Canadian Regiment Association, who presented the quilt.

"Quilts of Valour", a national program, got its start in 2006 when an Edmonton quilter presented quilts to three injured members of Canada's Armed Forces, who were in hospital.

Word got out – and since then hundreds of crafty Canadians have been making quilts for veterans and current members of the Armed Forces. More than 8,000 quilts have been presented to date.  

"When I got my medals, I didn't cry. But when I got presented with my quilt, honest to God, it brought me to tears," Thomson recalled.

'Love, respect and gratitude'

George's quilt has a label stitched on that reads, "Handmade with love, respect and gratitude for your sacrifice for Canada. May the hugs stitched into this quilt give you comfort, strength and love."

George himself did not speak at the ceremony, but had a big smile as the blanket was draped over his shoulders.

Some of his relatives were also there to watch the ceremony. George's niece, Jeanine George, called it "overwhelming".

"[It was] a little bit of a tear-jerker," she said. "It was very touching for me and my family, it's a wonderful experience and I'm glad we got to be part of it."