The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Corrections center volunteers sew gowns, masks for coronavirus fight
SEATTLE — While the Sisters of Charity live inside the confines of the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor, they’re providing plenty of help for those on the outside in the fight against the coronavirus.
The group, formed about 20 years ago at the Corrections Center, with many serving life sentences, makes items from donated materials for about 30 different charities. South King Fire & Rescue needed protective gowns for an anticipated surge in coronavirus cases this fall and winter, and the group was happy to help. Not only have members made 700 gowns for South King Fire & Rescue, they also made 300 for the Gig Harbor Fire Department, with 600 more on order.
“I think this project meant so much because it was a call to action and an opportunity for them to be part of their community despite the walls,” said Carrie Hesch, WCCW’s recreation and athletic director. “They are absolutely thrilled to be able to do something for the community and stay busy.”
Lt. Greg Willett, one of the members of the South King Fire & Rescue COVID-19 group, reached out to Hesch about the possibility of getting some help from the women at the corrections center. It worked better than he could have imagined.
“We worked together as a team to produce the best we could to help, and it all came together,” said a member of the group who is not named at the request of the WCCW. “We heard of the need, and it happened. It gives us the opportunity to be a part of something positive and contribute to the community.”
There are 10 women in the Sisters’ governing body, and they run the program, while Hesch oversees it. The gown project was perfect for their skill set. Firefighter Jim Wilson, who designed the gowns and had been sewing them with his wife, made a video of a prototype for the group.
“I gave it to one of the women who also worked for Correctional Industries (a program for inmates to gain work experience), and she’s brilliant,” Hesch said. “She can just look at something and make it work. We couldn’t have them come in and show us, but she was able to figure it out through a phone call (and the video), and we just began the process.”
Said Willett: “She just ran with our design. That whole group has been nothing but super-enthusiastic and super-supportive.”
Lowe’s donated Tyvek, a fabric used in protective gear, and the group used an assembly-line process that allowed workers to keep socially distant; two groups of 15 worked in rotating shifts.
The group is also making masks for the incarcerated and has produced more than 4,000.
‘We heard of the need, and it happened. It gives us the opportunity to be a part of something positive and contribute to the community.’ Member of the Sisters of Charity Member is not named at the request of the WCCW