Community Involvement
Cotton Candy Fabrics is very committed to the local community and supports charities that focus on improving lives and creating safer communities as well as those that support creativity and growing quilting as a hobby. If you would like to request a donation, please see the donation guidelines at the end of this page.
Center for Empowerment and Education
Our primary focus for charitable outreach is The Center for Empowerment and Education. For victims of interpersonal violence (sexual assault or domestic violence), CEE provides support services in the form of counseling and advocacy, crisis intervention, and emergency shelter. Everyone deserves to live a life free from violence. They are here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our Owner, Erin Byrne, is a board member of this organization.
We make and donate quilts to be given to clients at their residential facility and sponsor events. In 2023, we hosted a quilt raffle with quilts made by our staff, teachers and friends that raised $19,000! More recently, we hosted a backpack sewing party where friends of the store sewing drawstring bags that were donated to those in our temporary housing.
Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild
Erin was instrumental in revitalizing the Mountain Laurel Quilt Gild after the pandemic. She is a past President and currently serves as Vice-Chair and Programs Chair to ensure interesting and educational programs for members. The Guild meets on the first Thursday of every month at the John Pettibone Community Center in New Milford, CT. Interested parties are invited to attend one meeting before paying dues to become a member.Bridgewater Fair
Erin serves as Chair of the NeedleArts exhibit of the Bridgewater Fair, encouraging sewists and fibre artists of all ages to submit their work for exhibition and an awards competition. As you can see from the photos, there was a robust exhibit in 2024. The 2025 Fair will take place August 15-17, 2025.
Donation Guidelines and Request Instructions
Cotton Candy Fabrics receives many requests for donations and gifts to charitable organizations as well as quilt guilds and shows. Our policy is to donate to organizations that support improving lives and creating safer communities or building the quilting hobby in our local area. We will also consider organizations or guilds tied to events we are traveling to. Due to the number of requests we receive and the generous amounts we donate we can't honor every request.If you'd like to be considered for a donation, please send an email to Sinia@cottoncandyfabrics.com with the information listed below. Sinia will share the request with our management team and respond to you within two weeks.
Your name and contact details
Your organization name and website
Is your organization registered as a non-profit
The event the donation or gift is requested for
Timeframe needed
Any other information that would help us make a decision