What began as a few Chagrin Falls community members making masks for the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools has blossomed...
Chagrin Falls Community Comes Together
What began as a few Chagrin Falls community members making masks for the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools has blossomed into a larger initiative to make hundreds of masks for the district.
Lauren Jones, secretary, Chagrin Falls Community Education, was discussing her mask-making experience with community member Kristen Rankin, who had been making her own face coverings. Rankin and her family had worked to provide cloth face coverings for anyone who needed one. A circle of her sewing friends even joined the effort by creating masks and donating supplies.
Jones had been making masks for local organizations and began making some Chagrin “home” masks for essential staff who work within the school district. She later communicated to Rankin that CFEVS staff member David Kimball, who is the Makerspace implementer of technology for the schools, was also making masks.
The Fellowship Bible Church on Chillicothe Road in Bainbridge Township had been working on mask-making and already had a group of volunteers who were committed to donating masks to the school district. After hearing about the effort to provide the school district with personal protection, Rankin agreed to join the effort and brought her resourceful network with her.
As of now, the group has provided district employees with 250 masks and are continuing to make more. Many masks are already in use while many are being stored for the 2020-21 school year.
“The goal is to provide each staff member with a washable cloth face covering to be used while working with students,” said Jones.
Thank you to the volunteers – both Chagrin Falls-affiliated and friends – from Rankin’s Sewing Circle:
Clara Zappata – cut masks and donated $60 towards supplies;
Wyville family – cut pleated masks and donated 12 shoelaces for mask ties;
Rhode family – cut pleated masks;
Anne Gasser – sewed pleated masks, improved design for comfort and kept production cost-effective;
Lisa Armstrong – sewed mask, modified mask pattern for the largest size and donated elastic for the masks she made;
Linda Levi – cut pleated masks;
Nikki Flemming – cut masks;
Deb Wilkinson – sewed pleated masks;
Rankin family – finished nose and ties for masks;
Pat Jackson – donated thermostat wire;
Lauren Jones – stored and distributed completed masks, kept track of need and inventory and sewed masks;
Dave Kimball – made white Chagrin Falls masks and made PDF instructions for pleated mask-making;
Kristen Rankin – distributed material, obtained donated items, sewed masks. Donated small amounts of fabric, floral metal wire for the nose and gave a monetary donation;
Nancy Bukovnik – worked with Fellowship Church Sewing group and got three to four people to sew masks, donating 90-plus masks during a time of great need;
Katelyn Devan and Terry Pieritz – improved the design to improve the fit through the elastic and used copper fabric for antibacterial and better filtration. Donated 50 masks with copper filter fabric;
Aimee Doershuk – donated elastic source via good will donation to be used for the ongoing mask project. Also secured orange fabric at a low cost to make a dart mask pattern;
Lori Ransom – donated most of the fabric used for mask-making in the sewing circle;
Carol Gifford – donated most of the fabric used for mask-making in the sewing circle;
Helen Miller – sourced Laurie and Carol who donated the fabric;
Pam Crews – donated much fabric from her own personal stock.
