By KAREN PARKER
County Line Publisher Emeritus
It certainly is not every year that Brookwood’s FCCLA organization has a member who qualifies to attend the national convention.
Moreover, no one can recall when an eighth-grader advanced to that prestigious position.
Meet Keira Rogalla, the daughter of Terry and Theresa Rogalla, whose amazing efforts have landed her a trip to the FCCLA National Convention in Anaheim, Calif. (June 30 to July 4). Her qualification came after surviving regional and state competitions.
For readers not familiar with FCCLA, it is a modernized outgrowth of what many may recall as FHA (Future Homemakers of America). But while FHA tended to concentrate on domestic arts and traditional women’s roles, FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) is a career and technical student organization for young men and women in Family and Consumer Sciences education in public and private schools. FCCLA centers on family and urges members to develop goals and projects that address personal, work and societal issues.
The project Rogalla chose might seem a bit odd for one so young. But when she followed the story of a local teen who had been sex trafficked, she tried to think of what she might do to ease the pain for those unfortunate children.
That when she hit on the idea of a quilt.
“It’s comforting to have a blanket to help cope with the bad times,” she said. Especially one made with love.
Although she had done some quilting for fun, this was on a whole new scale. The result was 32 quilts, a project that included raising the money for fabric and getting some help with all the work.
Each quilt is two yards square, making plenty of fabric to cuddle with. Rogalla got help from classmates and from the Catholic Faith and Youth Group, along with the youth group at Grace Community Church in Ontario.
Her quilts have now found homes at safe houses in Milwaukee and Altoona, Wis.