Lauren MacDonald

When current board members think of Secretary Lauren MacDonald, we all remember how she saved our lives.

She really did. The incident took place at Quilt Canada 2014 in St. Catharines, ON this past June. The board all stayed in residence in dorm rooms. What we didn't know was that there was no coffee maker in any of the rooms, and the dining hall didn't open till about 90 minutes after we were up. Let me just say this without going into too much detail, you do not want to talk to a board member before they have had their cup of coffee.

So what happened that fateful first morning when we got up at 6 am and realized there was no caffeine? We looked into the hall and saw Lauren's door open. We stumbled in and there was a sight to behold. On her desk was a Keurig machine and about 100 coffee pods surrounding it. She had brought it all from her home, driven it 8 hours, because she knew we would not survive Quilt Canada without our caffeine. And that is how she saved 6 quilters lives.

Now when she is not performing heroic acts, she does a great job of looking after the CQA/ACC website and keeping us on track by logging minutes, resolutions, action items and pretty much anything we throw at her.

Lauren is the board member responsible for getting our member guilds insurance coverage through CQA/ACC. She put in hours and hours researching, talking extensively to companies and with help from some knowledgeable members, she was able to arrange for the board to meet with a company that could make all of this happen.

She is also a great quilter. Living on Manitoulin Island, ON she has found her niche in the guild and has added so much to that group. She has been doing their newsletter for years, often does Block of the Month, organizes retreats, program and whatever else is asked of her. Perhaps she is most known for her ability to try anything. If a course is being offered she signs up. If someone shows a new technique, she watches. Lauren has the wonderful attitude of seeing learning as fun and encourages others to do so with her positive attitude.