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For the past two years Lynn Martin has served as a corps member with Education Works, providing award-winning programs to students in some of Philadelphia’s most troubled schools. She has contributed her unique talents and wide–ranging artistic skills to help students discover more about themselves and the world around them.
But Lynn’s commitment to service and her steadfast dedication to helping those around her did not begin with her AmeriCorps terms. She has always volunteered in some capacity over the last 36 years. As the wife of an air force officer in service during the Vietnam era, she responded to the need for care packages by teaching other military wives to make quilts, handmade dolls, and pottery. Over time the young wives learned these crafts and made a profit from the items they had created. Some funds went to purchase products to send to the soldiers, and the rest went to the moms who no longer had work outside their homes. She saw a need that could benefit everyone, and decided to take the initiative.
As a parent volunteer at Philadelphia’s Kelly Elementary School, Lynn shared her quilting skill with the students. She recalls one of the most memorable experiences there, one that brought out her special talent for using art as an emotional release. “In my fourth year as a school volunteer, something happened that changed our lives forever. Two planes flew into the World Trade Center. The students were terrified and convinced the planes were going to hit their school. The principal, Dr. Hackman, asked if I could come up with an art project with the children, especially those whose parents couldn't leave work. I asked the group of children if they could draw a picture of what they were feeling. Within weeks we had a quilt hanging on the wall at Kelly school. It was called the "Peace Quilt".
Lynn experience as a volunteer evolved into a full time commitment to national service. In her two years with NSCC she has worked with hundreds of students. She has designed other quilting projects including an anti violence quilt made with a group of middle school girls as part of a mentoring program; a spider quilt made by children in a sixth grade special education class; and a Black History quilt depicting the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama done with elementary students. Last year, in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders, Lynn created a quilt titled “Children of Darfur”, based on drawings by Sudanese children collected by the non-profit medical relief agency. Reflecting on her national service experience Lynn says that the NSCC “has allowed me to do the work I love with the young minds I love to work with, and given me the opportunity to get our children involved in local and international issues through quilting”.
Lynn Martin stands out as a role model for Baby Boomers throughout the country, stitching together a quilt of volunteer service from the fabric of her daily life. |
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