Since Mark Ackermann was a member of the Indian Guides during grade school, he’s learned how to be a very resourceful man who recognizes community needs and figures how he can help.
The same has proved true during the coronavirus pandemic as Ackermann, the threat preparedness director for the Marshall County Health Department, immediately retooled his efforts to provide the public with seat belt coverings that inform first responders of medical conditions in emergency situations.
Now, the veteran of the United States Navy is a mask maker, and there is a demand in a county where 11 positive coronavirus cases.
“Going from seat belt covers to masks was easy,” he humbly explained. “We went and bought elastic before it sold out, and we purchased some more cotton and began. We already had the sewing materials all together.
“The staff at the MCHD did not want to distribute all of our surgical masks so out of mere necessity, we switched over,” Ackermann said. “Our office is small, and maintaining social distancing is difficult, so we have been mandated by the health department administrator, Tom Cook, to wear the masks at work to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
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It’s that easy, and they are free unless individuals wish to make donations to support the effort.
“We have had nearly constant requests for masks,” Ackermann explained, “from the EMA staff, our county staff, the housing authority, friends and family. We sent some out to one of the hospice groups. I even have mailed masks as far as Florida to friends who could not find them
“My wife and I aren’t trying to make money,” he insisted. “It’s a ‘if-you-want-to- reimburse-us-you-can’ kind of thing. Generally, we just give them out. Some folks placing special orders have paid, but we generally just give them out, and people have just been thankful to get masks, no matter the style or pattern. This is something we are doing in the evenings and weekends, and it fills up most of our time.”
These are not surgical masks, Ackermann explained, but, according to officials with the Center for Disease Control, the coverings can prevent germs from spreading from one individual to another.
“These masks are made from just any good cotton cloth, and I use a double layer of quilt batting inside of mine to give support and to act as a washable filter,” the Wheeling Park High graduate said. “We like to try to customize masks for people as much as possible. They can be uncomfortable, so why not wear a mask that makes a statement such as a WVU or US Navy mask?
“It’s easy to make them. You just cut out the cotton and sew it together inside out, putting in the elastic and leaving one side open; turn it right side out and then seal it up,” Ackermann continued. “For my masks, I use bungee straps in pockets that go behind your head and neck as I don’t like the ear straps.”
His Son the Sailor
Mark and Virginia Ackermann have a son, Edward, who is serving in the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, and many of his fellow sailors do not have access to the equipment or materials to produce the protective coverings.
So, what are the Ackermanns doing? That’s right, making even more.
“Right now, my wife and I are working on masks for those sailors who may not have masks in Norfolk,” he said. “Our son is stationed there, and he told us they are not allowed in certain places without a mask and his friends have been asked to leave the exchange because he didn’t have a mask.
“These men and women don’t have easy access to sewing machines and the like,” Ackermann continued. “So, we are sending over as many as we can make for him to give to anyone who doesn’t have a mask.”
Ackermann’s wife, Virginia, taught him how to sew about 15 years ago for a small business the couple operated, so each evening they both are at work on two of the four sewing machines the family owns.
“It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make a mask, and we try to match up pieces of material we have lying around the room,” he said. “Some request a specific design, but most say they don’t care what the pattern is.”
“And we’re not alone. We know that Vickie Earnest from the Marshall County Health Department and a couple of her friends are making masks to give away, and Cathy Jones, a retired Marshall County Schools nurse, also has been making them.”
