Pinch Hitter Quilt Honors Volunteer Legacy
Volunteer crafters with the Pinch Hitter Program spent two years sewing a quilt to commemorate more than 40 years of volunteer service on Christmas Day.
Sasha Heller is the Web Editor and Copy Editor for the Atlanta Jewish Times
To commemorate the B’nai B’rith Pinch Hitter Program’s legacy of volunteer service spanning more than four decades, a dedicated crew of crafters have meticulously sewed a quilt comprised of volunteer T-shirts with the plan to present the quilt to the community for display in a local museum.
“The Pinch Hitter Quilt is a magnificent work demonstrating both skill and art,” said Harry Lutz, Pinch Hitter Program Chairman. “It is comprised of 48 panels made from actual Pinch Hitter T-shirts from over the years, beginning with the 1980 shirt.”
The T-shirts had been distributed each year to volunteers to help identify them to the staff, residents, and patients in the facilities in which the program serves.
“The quilt was initially shown at the office of the Atlanta Jewish Times, who, along with its predecessor, The Southern Israelite, has always been a sponsor of the Pinch Hitter Program,” Lutz said.
The group plans to present the quilt at each of the hospitals and senior centers the program has served in the last year and, eventually, for it to be permanently displayed for the community to appreciate.
The display will also include a placard, produced by Toco Instant Printing, that details the program’s history and spotlights the team of talented quilters, including Sue Eisen, Mimi Anapolle, Dianna Quinn, Nada Torrey, Sandie Hendler, and Ann Stephens. Also noted on the placard are the Pinch Hitter Program Chairs: Judge Gary Jackson, Founder; Joseph Benkiel (z’l); Matt Green; Mannie Lowe; and Harry Lutz.
Production of the quilt lasted nearly two years as the group had to coordinate plans and schedules to complete the project.
The Pinch Hitter Program, started in 1980 by Judge Jackson, is an annual community service in which local Jewish volunteers “go to bat” for essential, non-medical Christian personnel on Christmas Day in hospitals, assisted living facilities, senior communities, and nursing homes, allowing the workers to spend the holiday with their families. The program is organized by the Achim/Gate City Lodge of B’nai B’rith International Center for Community Action in Atlanta.
“To the Jewish community, the program is a way we demonstrate that we don’t just do for other Jews, but we are providing a service to the larger community,” Lutz said. “It’s a way to do something worthwhile rather than just spend the day eating Chinese food and watching movies.”
For Lutz, who assumed leadership duties more than two decades ago from program Founder Judge Jackson, serving as captain of this volunteer work force has been a labor of love, but a labor nonetheless that he is looking to pass on.
“I didn’t plan to continue to chair the program as long as I have, but several potential successors that I have trained have chosen not to follow up, and I am still looking to groom a new chairperson,” Lutz said. “The duties of the position are very straightforward, and I have developed the path to follow.”
And who knows? The group may have kicked off a new tradition by crafting the commemorative quilt … check back in 40 years to see if they’ve sewn a new one.
For more information about the Pinch Hitter Program, please contact Harry Lutz at 678-485-8179 or email hslutz_fsa@yahoo.com.
comments