By Kim Tennison, for the News-Gazette:
The Joshua Stevens Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is lending a helping hand to healthcare and other essential workers on the front lines of the pandemic, ensuring that St. Cloud and other Florida residents and facilities have more protective wear resources to face the threat of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Joshua Stevens Chapter responded to the medical mask shortage by hand-sewing masks to donate to local essential workers in the most need.
As of April 18, the Joshua Stevens Chapter of St. Cloud has sewn and donated almost 200 masks to various medical centers, animal hospitals, family, friends and neighbors in the local community and beyond.
“While we are each doing our part to slow the spread of the virus by staying at home, the DAR members in our chapter wanted to do more to give back to those working hard to keep our community healthy and safe,” said Chapter Regent Debra Linn Idom Main of the Joshua Stevens Chapter, a retired nurse. “We know these are tough times for everyone and wanted to do whatever we could to spread a little sunshine and help take care of our community.”
DAR Daughters Ginny Brown and Carol Darrow donated time and talents to sew almost 200 masks to date. Also, DAR Daughter Jeanette Weisbrodt donated sewing supplies to Brown.
Brown’s mask recipients included the Poinciana Medical Center, Gainesville Animal Hospital in Gainesville and Bayfront Health in Punta Gorda, where her cousin, Lauren Spock, works. Brown has also supplied masks to her neighbors in her Solivita community in Poinciana. Brown donated fabric to the Solivita Quilters who also made over 250 masks for the Poinciana Medical Center and local homeless residents. Brown’s husband, Howie Brown, helps with mask mailing and delivery.
Darrow is a Joshua Stevens Daughter and recent widow of Vietnam veteran, Gary Anderson. She said sewing masks was a relaxing activity. Half of her masks went to AdventHealth Centra Care in Dr. Phillips, when her neighbor expressed a need on behalf of the staff. The other half went to family and friends who requested them. Neither DAR member would accept any payment for their efforts.
Nationwide, DAR chapters from all 50 states have been participating in the organization’s Service to America From Home initiative with more than 50,000 masks already being donated and tens of thousands more produced every day to be distributed in local communities.
"I am exceptionally proud of what DAR members are accomplishing as part of a proud tradition of service that dates to our 1890 founding,” said Denise Doring VanBuren, DAR president general. “In difficult times like these, we know that it is not the emergency that defines us, but how we respond to it.”
If local healthcare facilities are in need of masks, Brown said she would make up to 24 masks per request from healthcare facilities in the next few weeks. Email her at Relayginny@yahoo.com.
For DAR membership inquiries and other questions about the Joshua Stevens Chapter, email Registrar Dale Nystrom at dorothydalenystrom@gmail.com. The chapter website is joshuastevensdar.com.
To learn more about DAR visit www.dar.org.