By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When Bowling Green City School’s teachers, staff and students return to their classrooms next week, they will find 1,600 homemade masks stitched with love.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Bowling Green Board of Education member Ginny Stewart said Wednesday morning as members of BG Sews for Health dropped off another 200 masks.
“This is what community looks like,” Stewart said. “That these wonderful women and their friends have made these.”
The volunteer seamstresses did not ask for money to make the 1,600 masks for the opening of school buildings, Stewart said.
“I hope this is a sign to teachers, bus drivers, custodians that people in this community value and care about your health,” she said.
Sandy Wicks, who organized the group BG Sews for Health early on in the pandemic, said the group wanted to help prepare for the opening of school buildings.
“We want to get these kids back to school, but we want to do it safely,” Wicks said.
This batch of masks is different from previous ones made by the volunteers, with the focus being on kids and learning.
“We asked people to use kid-friendly fabrics,” Wick said. So the prints are playful, with dogs, fish, balloons and flowers.
When Stewart told Wicks that the school district was gearing up to return to in-person learning, they talked about the number of masks needed. Stewart was almost apologetic about asking for 400 masks for all the faculty and staff, Wicks said.
But for the volunteers who had been stitching masks since COVID hit, that request was easily met – and exceeded by four times.
“There’s no way we’re going to make everyone just one. Not this group,” Wicks said of the volunteer mask makers.
Crim Principal Zeb Kellough said the masks are very much appreciated, and will be shared with students who need them as well.
Superintendent Francis Scruci said the bags full of masks are a sign of Bowling Green’s support for schools and students.
“It’s unbelievable. It speaks volumes about Bowling Green,” Scruci said. “It’s such a generous act of kindness and concern for our staff.”
Nearly 50 people make up the BG Sews for Health group, Wicks said. Early on in the pandemic, the group made 5,000 masks for Wood County Hospital, local nursing homes and first responders.
“My whole dining room table was nothing but squares of material,” Wicks recalled.
The volunteers were also joined by BiG Fab Lab which donated bolts of fabric and BioFit which provided laser cutting and elastic.
