As a former assistant prosecuting attorney currently in private practice, Vickie Hylton often hears from child protective services workers who describe children being carried from crime scenes or abusive homes with only the clothes on their back.
"It's bad enough you're being taken away from your home without anything you own," Hylton said. "Sometimes you don't even get to take your shoes or coat."
So, since the spring of 2015, Hylton and her mother, Judy Davis, have been working on making child-size quilts for officers with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department to wrap the children in, and hopefully provide some support when they come across them during traumatizing calls.
"It's very comforting for children in strange situations," Hylton said.
The goal was to complete the quilts before the cold weather hit. The first batch was presented to Sheriff Steve Kessler on Monday.
They hope to reach a total of about 50 quilts over the next month.
Kessler said the quilts will likely be used for a variety of situations, from automobile accidents to domestic violence calls.
"I think it's beneficial because it aids and comforts the child," Kessler said. "It gives them something tangible to hold on to."
Hylton was also responsible for organizing the donation of about 100 teddy bears to the sheriff's office for the same purpose.
She also organized the Dachshund Derby each year to benefit the K-9 unit and donated and raised funds for the dental bills of one of the K-9s that sustained a dental injury during an arrest.
Captain Jim Sizemore, who has distributed some of the bears, described stopping at a store when the clerk told him, "You probably don't remember me, but about 15 years ago you responded to a call at my house, and gave my daughters teddy bears, and they remember them and talk about that."
Sizemore said the call involved domestic violence.
"Their whole world is just destroyed, and you give them something soft and warm and cuddly to hold on to," he said. "They remember that."
Hylton and Davis are looking for volunteers to help make more quilts. While she and her mother are experienced quilters, she said some of the quilts are machine-made, and some are made from tying the edges of fleece fabric.
"So whether you can sew or not, you can still help with this program," she said.
Anyone who wants to volunteer by donating fabric, in at least a 3-yard increment, or by making the quilts can call Hylton at 304-574-0880.
"I just encourage people to get involved and help in whatever way they can," Hylton said. "It's such a simple and easy thing to do, and it really benefits so many children."
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.