HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WOWK) – A West Virginia retirement home is thanking its residents who served in the military in a unique way to show them their sacrifices are not forgotten.

A hard-working group of residents at Woodlands Retirement has spent countless hours making quilts to give to them. The group gives them out during the Quilts of Valor presentations twice a year.

Quilts of Valor is a national initiative. The organization aims to provide veterans and active service members with handmade quilts as a way to provide comfort and support. The organization started when the founder, a quilter, had a dream while her son was away at war.

“We have a whole group of ladies that come together. We have some that aren’t sewers but they’ll come in and do the ironing, they’ll do cutting, those kinds of things for us as well,” says Debbie Russell, quilter.

The local group’s goal is to give every veteran at the Woodlands facility a Quilt of Valor as a way to thank them for their service. Five quilts were presented Friday afternoon, and another quilt was presented earlier in the week.

“This is an honor and a privilege to be recognized along with the rest of the guys that were in the group, and I just couldn’t believe it was going to happen,” says Paul Clemmitt, a retired Sergeant of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The quilts can take months to make, and the work is done on a volunteer basis, using donated materials. The quilters say they would graciously accept donations to continue their mission of giving those who served a heartfelt thank you.