Our Team

Gretchen founded The Love Quilt Project in 2011 after a mission trip to South Africa with her church. Her passion to help children and her belief in human kindness has been the inspiration behind the project.

Ever since a 2014 mission trip to build an orphan home in Masiphumelele, South Africa, Bill has been on a mission to help South African children affected by the HIV / AIDS epidemic.

Jeanne, our newest Board Member, joined the Love Quilt Project as she was retiring from the corporate ranks of a major healthcare company. An avid quilter, she helped produce over 50 quilts and 500 masks for South African group homes during the COVID pandemic.

Jenni Knitting, a new Love Quilt Project Board Member was born and raised in South Africa, has strong ties to the country and makes regular visits to see family and friends there. On a recent trip to Cape Town, Jenni, her husband Luke and their two daughters visited the foster home in Masiphumelele and had a wonderful time connecting with the children and their foster mothers. 

Luke Knittig is a new Love Quilt Project Board member who brings a strong public relations background to our charity. He has extensive experience in media relations, social media, digital/web and outreach programs. Luke has recently travelled to South Africa to visit the foster homes with his wife, Jenni and children.

Critically acclaimed actor Patrick and his wife Dagmara frequently work with children, teaching theatre and directing school plays. When introduced to the Project, they immediately jumped onboard, hoping to help broaden the initiative’s scope and efforts.

Acclaimed writer and actor Dagmara and her husband Patrick frequently work with children, teaching theatre and directing school plays. They were both taken by the project and have worked to spread the word about our mission.

Kathy Wesley has been the Administrative Assistant for the Love Quilt Project since March 2022. Recently retired after more than 40 years teaching elementary school music classes, she has been working with several organizations making quilts for those in need.

The mission trip to South Africa was intended to give her daughter a meaningful experience about serving others. But after working in a home for children orphaned by Aids, Sue had a personal desire to do more. 

Kevin went to South Africa on the initial mission trip with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in 2011 and saw first-hand the opportunity to have a great impact by helping vulnerable children in need. Kevin has been the Treasurer since the Love Quilt Project’s founding.

Ed can’t sew to save his life. Never mind quilts, buttons are a struggle for him. So he thought maybe the best way to help out The Love Quilt Project would be to use his nearly 30 years of experience in marketing and advertising. It’s been the most rewarding work he’s ever done.

A lifelong crafter and a quilter since 2013, Jennifer is passionate about social change and using the power of art to reach across cultural and geographic boundaries. She joined the board of the Love Quilt Project in 2016.

Cecilia Buss has been coordinating quilters in the Pacific Northwest for The Love Quilt Project since 2016. She is looking forward to returning to South Africa in the summer of 2020 to assist with quilt deliveries.

Zach Forte is a senior at Western Connecticut State University, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Sports Media. He hopes to use his writing to help spread the news about the many vulnerable children in South Africa and the US.

Lwazi has always tried to help others in her native South Africa. When her job brought her to Washington, DC for several years, she saw an opportunity to reach across the ocean by helping spread love through the Love Quilt Project.