From left, Shorehaven Lake Terrace Apartments residents Sharon Neaves and Pat Britt, and in front, Katy Luedke and Connie Bader, display their artistry in making masks for fellow residents on the Shorehaven campus.
“We put us to work.”
“There was a need, and we’ve got people who can sew. We can do this,” Lake Terrace resident Connie Bader announced as she and three other Lake Terrace residents rallied this week to sew cloth masks for other residents. “We can do something useful.”
Bader posted signup forms in the independent living building asking residents if they wanted masks. More than 40 residents responded. “Our work was cut out for us,” Bader laughed. “Lake Terrace has become my home, and the folks here are my extended family. What do we do with family? Try to take care of them the best we can. We put us to work.”
The residents brought out fabrics, sewing machines, and supplies and began sewing masks in their apartments. “Hunting through cotton and polyester and elastic,” Bader said the group also discovered that soft cotton T-shirts could be cut, and pieces would curl up upon stretching. Sewer Sharon Neaves said she harbored “the nicest stash of fabrics.” “I was making quilts for the homeless in Arizona. Thank goodness my daughter packed up the material for me when I came here.”
“Anytime I volunteer, it makes me feel good,” said resident Pat Britt. “It makes you feel like you’re contributing.” Bader said residents were asking how they could help if they didn’t sew. “We’ve gotten to know one another on a new level,” resident Katy Luedke said, admiring the stitch work of the other sewers.
“This is a hard time for everyone, as we are out of our normal routines. Lake Terrace is where people care for each other and want to help in any way they can – it’s a great place to be. We wanted everyone at Lake Terrace to have one mask, and now we can breathe a sigh of relief,” concluded Bader.
Our residents thank Oconomowoc area citizens Gina Magnus and Denise O’Halloran and group for their mask contributions.
If you sew and would like to provide masks to Shorehaven, we will heartily welcome your donation. To donate or learn more, send a note to Sarah Williams-Berg, Director of Community Relations, at swberg@lho.org.