STUDIO CITY—This week, 13-year-old 7th grader, Madeleine Fugate asked families and friends of COVID-19 victims to send quilt squares to a local address to honor the lives lost due to Coronavirus complications.

The idea sparked while the teen was at Buckley School in class and assigned her 7th grade project with the theme of ‘giving back’. She is requesting 8 by 8 quilt squares from families who have lost loved ones to the virus. Although her goal is to collect 20 before May 12th, she is hoping to get more.  Families are asked to mail in a square with a photo or name showcased on their quilt square.

The project was inspired by the Aids Memorial Quilt that was created in 1985 honoring the lives of over 105,000 people who died due to AIDS and related illnesses. Social media is asked to refer to the project as the #CovidQuilt. The number sign in front of the words, “Covid Quilt” is often used on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to start a trend and gain recognition from users. Fugate told KNX10.70 News Radio reporter,

“Nowadays people just look at them as numbers, they don’t really think of them as people anymore. And they’re still people and we should remember them.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70,802 Americans have fallen victim to the Coronavirus and passed away. Other news outlets are creating pages where one can share their stories about loved ones lost, including CNN’s memorial page titled, “We want to hear about those you’ve lost” and the Washington Post, “Faces of Death” piece honoring victims with a photo, quote and short biography.

You can mail your quilt squares to the following address:

COVID QUILT

3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd #443

Studio City, CA 91604​