PGA Tour golfer Martin Laird and his wife Meagan, in Akron for this weekend’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, put a different spin on living in a material world when they made their rounds Tuesday at Akron Children’s Hospital, delivering hand-crafted quilts to patients.
The Lairds made their way into several patients’ rooms as ambassadors for Quilts for Kids, a volunteer mission launched in 2000 by Linda Ayre, president of the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that puts quilts in the hands of patients needing comfort.
Nine-year-old Andrew “Drew” Mazer Jr. of Doylestown, who was challenging his father to a game of pool in one of the hospital’s activity rooms, was delighted not only to meet the Scotland-born Laird but also to receive a baseball-themed quilt in his favorite color, blue.
You might say it took a little of the sting out of being hospitalized; Drew was being treated for a bad reaction to a wasp sting.
The Lairds’ visit and gift of a quilt were very much welcomed by Nauzchell Sellers of Kent and his mother, Neveda Sellers-Moton.
The 10-year-old injured himself when he fell out of a tree. As fate would have it, Nauzchell was handed a tree-themed quilt, much to his delight, and earned an admonishment from Martin Laird to be more careful the next time he thinks about climbing a tree.
Eight-year-old Elizabeth O’Bryant of Streetsboro opted for a pink-and-blue quilt to call her own.
Laird, who attended Colorado State University, turned pro in 2004 and has two PGA Tour wins and 18 top 10 finishes.
His wife is vice president of community outreach for the PGA Tour Wives Association, which supports children and families with various volunteer and fundraising projects.
Ayre was also on hand for the visit, having shipped the 120 colorful all-cotton, washable quilts to the hospital in time for the distribution.
Her effort is embraced by the PGA Tour wives and girlfriends. With the help of 100 chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean, it has placed more than 25,000 artsy quilts in about 100 hospitals. “We could not do what we do without the support of our friends in the fabric industry,” Ayre said.
Children’s Hospital also is blessed to have the support of volunteers from Project Linus, a local nonprofit whose mission is to blanket pediatric patients with colorful quilts on a regular basis.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.