Nyack Mask Makers’ 10,000th
On Monday May 4th, Nyack Village’s Mayor Don Hammond and Montefiore Nyack Hospital’s President and CEO, Dr. Mark Geller receive the 9,999th and 10,000th masks.
The last six weeks have been nothing less than a war for Bill Batson and Donna Timm, co-founders of Nyack Mask Makers. The group has been producing essential battle material for frontline COVID-19 fighters since March 20, and have now reached an important landmark.
On Monday, May 4, Nyack Mask Makers will present Nyack Mayor, Don Hammond, and Montefiore Nyack Hospital President and CEO, Dr. Mark Geller, with the 9,999th and the 10,000th masks produced by the group. The presentation held at 11:30 a.m. at the main entrance of Montefiore Nyack Hospital at 160 N. Midland Avenue in Nyack.
Batson and Timm, long-time cultural and civic activists, created Nyack Mask Makers to design and fabricate cloth face coverings for frontline health care workers and others in need. After consultation with Dr. Geller and his staff, a prototype was developed and production began, driven by a group of more than 350 volunteers recruited by Batson and Timm. Providing financial support, over 200 individuals have donated a total of more than $12,000 to the group’s GoFundMe campaign.
After delivering the first 2,000 masks to Monterfiore Nyack, the group expanded their efforts to supply masks to over 40 local organizations — including nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, fire, ambulance and police departments, child care institutions, schools, food banks, and other vital community service organizations.
On April 4th , when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that everyone wear a cloth face covering when out of the home, the group reached out to Village of Nyack Mayor Don Hammond with an offer to provide a free mask to any and all in Nyack who needed one. The group has since produced more than 1,000 masks for residents — delivered by volunteer drivers.
Since social distancing precludes an event where Dr. Geller and Mayor Hammond can personally thank the over 500 volunteers and donors that Batson and Timm have recruited, they will use this “socially distant” occasion to give thanks and encourage the public to continue efforts to flatten the curve.
Batson and Timm both have a personal connection with the Hospital. Batson has a close relative who works at the Hospital. Timm is a cancer survivor who received treatment at the hospital’s Hematology Oncology Center.
“Montefiore Nyack Hospital is a cornerstone of our community -– touching so many individuals and families, but also serving the community more broadly as leaders. They help our ‘small’ village do big things,” said Timm Batson has documented the village-wide flatten-the-curve effort in his Nyack Sketch Log columns. “It’s a wartime effort, and it’s not over,” said Batson. (See Sketch Log here Nyack Sketch Log: Mask4all and here Nyack Sketch Log: Nyack Mask Makers.)
“We have never faced a battle like this one,” added Geller. “But our people and our community will win in the end.”
“On Monday, we have two custom masks, made by our master mask maker, Donna Timm, for two leaders who have propelled and guided the work of the many heroes in response the pandemic,“ said Batson.
“We say thank you to Dr. Geller and Mayor Hammond, as they continue to protect our community. To show our appreciation to our leaders and the many workers at the hospital and in the village, we ask that everyone wear a mask. All heroes wear masks.”
Nyack Mask Makers have delivered 10,000 masks (and counting) to many organizations in the local community, including:
Blaisdell Addiction Center • Brightview Living • Cardinal McCloskey Community Services • Center for Safety & Change • Child Care Resources of Rockland • Crystal Run Healthcare • Dowling Gardens Independent Living • Flushing • Hospital • Friedwald Center • Good Samaritan Addiction Center • Grace’s Kitchen • Harvest Home Senior Housing • Jackson Fire Engine Co. Nyack • Lake View Senior Housing • Martin Luther King Center Multipurpose • Montefiore Nyack Hospital • North Riverview Healthcare Center • Northern Manor Multicare Center • Nyack Center • Nyack Ridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center • Nyack Community Ambulance Corp. • Orangetown Police Department • Pine Valley Center-Rehab • Promenade at Blue Hill • Rockland Diagnostics Rt 303 • Rockland County Sheriff’s Department • Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Hospital • Rockland Psychiatric Hospital • South Orangetown Schools meal delivery • Soup Angels • Tappen Zee Manor • Tolstoy Village • United Hospice • Upper Room House of Worship Food Bank • Willows at Ramapo Senior Living
Nyack Chamber of Commerce Presentation Announcement
Presentation Photos by Ray Wright
Mask Photos by Nyack Mask Makers
