Helping COVID First Responders (2020)

When COVID-19 struck, many people felt helpless to do much to even protect their families, no less support others.

Caragh took the Mr. Rodgers quote to heart: "When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

The people that Caragh saw helping were doctors, nurses, and first responders. She was on the lookout for a way to help the helpers. 

The family saw reports that most hospitals had moved to require full-time face mask use to keep medical professionals safe. These masks were not designed for extended use, and posts flooded Instagram of professionals with imprints on their faces, the back of their ears rubbed raw, and bald spots worn on elastic lines.

The family did some research and found that other helpers had designed mask extender straps and were 3-D printing them in mass to donate to hospitals. 

Although Caragh did not have access to 3-D printers herself, she partnered with Paladin Tech Works to create face mask extender straps for those on the front line. Inspired by her story, the owner of the company got his kids involved in producing and packaging the mask straps. 

The funds raised from her fundraiser went towards purchasing all of the filament to print over a thousand mask straps, all of which were mailed to medical professionals in some of the most impacted areas across the US.