Mike Raschick, Department Head, UMD Social Work
stands by the Traveling Caucus Quilt
The 'Traveling Caucus Quilt' is a fairly new tradition of the Rural Social Work Caucus. It was first displayed at the 30th Annual National Institute on Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas, sponsored by West Virginia University’s Division of Social Work and held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV, in July 2006.
Since 2006, the quilt has been displayed at each Annual Institute, after which it is entrusted to the hosts of the following year's Institute. By placing the quilt on display at the host institution, it is hoped that the quilt's presence will create excitement, inspire the planning process, and instill upon the hosts the rich traditions of the Caucus.
Naureen Lennox of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, held the Caucus archives for many years. These archives were subsequently passed along to Carol Gross of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Carol’s daughter, Elizabeth Gross of West Stockbridge, MA, pieced and quilted the quilt in 2005 under the name of her business, The Pumpkin Patch. Caucus Secretary, Sam Hickman, currently houses the archives in an honored corner of the NASW West Virginia Chapter office in Charleston, WV.
The Caucus Quilt incorporates the thematic logo designs of about a dozen Annual Institutes and is sometimes adorned with a button that proclaims the early Caucus slogan, “Rural is Real”. Each host institution donates to the archives its logo products, such as t-shirts and tote bags, which will hopefully be incorporated into future quilts.