Columbus native Taylor Mount hopes to design evening couture after she graduates from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
However, in the past few months, the rising junior and fashion major has set her sewing machine to a different task — creating and donating face masks for Columbus Regional Hospital and the Bartholomew County Community Corrections Center’s Work Release and Residential Treatment Facility.
Right before college began its spring quarter, the shift to online classes occurred and Taylor returned to Columbus. Shortly after the shutdown began, Taylor’s mother, who is a lawyer, heard from Rob Gaskill, the director of Community Corrections, that the facility was in need of face masks for staff members and participants. When she heard, Taylor went to work and made about 60 masks in the span of three days.
“I love to sew, and I love to help people, and this was the perfect opportunity to do both of those things,” Taylor said. Her masks were made using two layers of cotton with one layer of flannel in between, with elastic for the ear pieces.
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“It really helped us keep people safe and helped us get through the outbreak and keep everybody safe from the virus,” Gaskill said. The facility also got some masks from Sew Crazy and was able to purchase some supplies, such as elastic for the masks, from the store.
In addition to the masks she made for the facility, Taylor also made 25 kids’ masks for the Columbus Regional Hospital after reading about the need for masks in an article in The Republic.
“This is just another example of caring people in our community that’s willing to go above and beyond,” Gaskill said. “And it allowed me to ensure the safety of people that’s in this facility. … I’m proud to be in Columbus because we have people that care about things like that.”
