Written by Potomac State College Student Jason Littleton
Tyrin Musser, a sophomore engineering student at West Virginia University Potomac State College, spent spring break helping his community by making masks to be distributed in the Potomac Highlands area of West Virginia.
Tyrin Musser, a sophomore engineering student at West Virginia University Potomac State College, spent his recent spring break making a difference.
Musser is a sophomore engineering student at West Virginia University Potomac State College. He and his family have spent the past month making masks for local healthcare workers. “I just wanted to do something to help my community,” Musser said.
With the help of his mother, Kimberly, who could no longer go to work due to the stay-at-home restrictions, the motivation to start sewing masks came naturally. “Working as a dental hygienist, I saw the shortage of protective supplies firsthand,” Kimberly said, so armed with her mother’s sewing machine, the whole family came together to help.
Musser’s family has been making two kinds of masks. The first type of mask, made of cloth, are washable and reusable and can also be sanitized with UV lights. The second type of masks are made of polypropylene, the same material that N-95 masks are made from.
The Musser’s now work with hundreds of individuals who are volunteering their time from their homes to create the much-needed mask, even people from as far away as California have reached out to help.
With the assistance of the Mineral County Health Department and the National Guard, the thousands of masks that have been created are being distributed to the counties of Grant, Hardy, Hampshire, Pendleton, and Mineral.
The West Virginia Mask Army is the nonprofit organization the family is working under and they encourage anyone interested in helping to make masks or donating to contact Kimberly at 304-668-5279 or to visit the West Virginia Mask Army website.
“We just want to thank all the healthcare workers for their sacrifices. You are the real heroes here,” Kimberly said.