Maureen, a 66-year-old retired teacher, relies on a modest $1,601 monthly from Social Security to make ends meet. Though she has a 401(k), she is reluctant to draw from it, worried that she might exhaust her savings too soon.
Throughout her more than 40 years in elementary and middle schools, Maureen cherished a special tradition with her third-grade classes. Every year, they would read Patricia Polacco's The Keeping Quilt together and then spend the afternoon creating crafts inspired by the story. Her students would design their fabric squares, which Maureen would later stitch into a quilt — a lasting keepsake for each class.
