March 13, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
A labor of love!
Members of the local FCE Club met Wednesday to put their sewing skills to good use by assembling a variety of comfort cushions, primarily for breast cancer survivors who have undergone treatment and surgery. The comfort cushions will be donated to an area breast cancer clinic and dispersed to future patients.
This is just the latest project undertaken by FCE, which stands for Family Community Education, once known as the home demonstration club. The group meets every three months and participates in various community endeavors from cooking demonstrations to field trips and hosting guest speakers, etc. Membership is open to men and women and the club operates under the local UT/TSU Extension Service.
“We always do projects or have a guest speaker. Today we are making comfort cushions for breast cancer survivors to put on their seatbelts and under their armpits where they have had their scars,” said Pat Wilt, FCE Secretary/Treasurer.
“This is the Family Community Education Club (FCE), once known as the Extension Homemaker Club and one of the things they do is participate in community projects. This project today is wonderful and is going to affect a lot of lives. It’s (FCE) a program offered by UT Extension and anyone can join. We meet every three months,” said Dr. April Martin, DeKalb County UT/TSU Extension Agent.
The purpose of comfort cushions is to provide relief for patients after surgery. They are used to relieve pressure from the areas of discomfort. Plus, they help provide better rest and sleep for the patient. Seat belt cushions create a protective barrier and helps relieve pressure to a tender chest area which may cause discomfort.