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030401
Published Sunday, April 27, 2003
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MERCER COUNTY By Larissa Theodore Herald Staff Writer Becky See Rado, formerly of Sharon, travels as a surgical technician to Guatemala as part of Hearts in Motion, an international nonprofit organization that provides resources for impoverished countries. Mrs. Rado, who lives in Crown Point, Ind., has been to Guatemala four times. During an unexpected visit to one of the clinics, she saw that all of the women were wearing aprons, many of which were worn and raggedy because the women were too poor to buy or make new ones. During Make a Difference Day last October, the Mercer County Housing Authority's AmeriCorps VISTA Team worked to change that situation. After hearing about the need for aprons through Cheryl Panek of the Sharon Lifelong Learning Council, they decided to make aprons for their Make a Difference Day project. Team members were recently honored as the local award winner for The Herald's reading area by USA Weekend magazine, which sponsors Make a Difference Day, for their hard work and outstanding local participation. It was the second outstanding honor for the VISTA team, which also won the award in 2001. Today's issue of USA Weekend contains a list of local and national winners. Awards went to 540 volunteer efforts around the country, with an estimated 3 million people participating in 2002 in thousands of service projects. Make a Difference Day gives people a chance to put aside personal issues and work to make a difference in the lives of those around them. Members of the VISTA team partnered with the Sharon Lifelong Learning Council to make 105 aprons with pockets, surpassing their original goal of 100 aprons. Guatemalan women wear the aprons all day, using them to carry money, medicine and other items. "It was excellent," said Tracy Robinson, VISTA team member who helped with the project. The team members tackled various aspects of the project with four at the sewing machine and others in charge of cutting, ironing, folding and packing. Joyce Bridges became the head seamstress and "mother " of the project, , assisting with problems that arose. Several VISTA members also took charge organizing the sewing, soliciting material and making fliers. The team spent time at the community center and at home cutting, ironing and sewing the material together. About eight children from Frank Fay Terrace in Reynolds came out to help as well. Every year the VISTA team does a project, said Stephanie Marugg, residential services coordinator at the Mercer County Housing Authority. "It's been a good group and it was a good project," she said. The housing authority has had VISTA volunteers for five years. They will all complete their service in August. You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com |
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Questions/comments: online@sharonherald.com Reproduction or retransmission in any form is prohibited without our permission. 030401
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