For her next trip to Guatemala, Becky (See) Rado, formerly of Sharon, wanted to bring something to brighten the lives of the women who live there.

She noticed all the women in Guatemala wear aprons, so she decided to bring them new aprons.

"I decided aprons would be a good thing to take," said Mrs. Rado. "They're not heavy and they can be readily used."

When members of the AmeriCorps VISTA Team of the Mercer County Housing Authority heard about Mrs. Rado's project through Cheryl Panek of the Sharon Lifelong Learning Council -- she has a mutual friend with Mrs. Rado -- they decided to make aprons for their Make a Difference Day project.

Mrs. Rado, who lives in Crown Point, Ind., has been to Guatemala four times with Hearts In Motion, an international non-profit organization that provides resources for impoverished countries. Hearts In Motion recruits medical personnel like Mrs. Rado, who was a surgical technician for 13 years, to perform surgery on children.

Members of the VISTA team all pitched in to sew the aprons. Even if someone couldn't sew, there was still material to cut.

"It was a team effort," said Stephanie Marugg, residential services coordinator at the Mercer County Housing Authority. "Everyone was doing something ... we had a lot of fun doing it."

Mrs. Rado plans to return to Guatemala in February with the aprons she collected from the VISTA team, the Daughters of Abraham of the Oakland Avenue United Methodist Church and the Brookfield Rotary. The VISTA team made 105 aprons, the Daughters of Abraham made 89 and the Brookfield Rotary made about 50.

She will continue to collect aprons until she leaves.