The Greene County Community Foundation (d/b/a Greene Giving) exists to serve Greene County and the nonprofit organizations and founds that continually give back to our community. Today, we would like to introduce you to one of those organizations, The Gang of Seamstresses. This organization is comprised of a group in Greene County that creates special shirts for patients that are in need of port access shirts when receiving treatment. We sat down with founder, Patricia Cochran, to learn more about the organization and how you can get involved.
When was your organization founded?
We got together 3 years ago and evolved to The Gang of Seamstresses over the years. We have sewn together for over a decade at what we lovingly call “Eat and Sews”, making things for various charities and good causes.
Why was your organization founded?
My childhood friend, Denny, had a recurrence of cancer in 2018. I was looking for ways to cheer him up and support him. I saw the idea on Pinterest and looked into buying a shirt for him but at $35, I thought I could look at making them myself! I got some thrift store shirts and set about figuring it out. I made 3 and he wore them to The James Cancer Center. The nurses went crazy for them! I made a few dozen more and sent them up. Then, a few dozen more and so it began. When his treatment was done, I thought, “there are people right here in Dayton who could use these”! I asked the sewing girls to lend a hand and they stepped up. We were fortunate to catch the eye of Turning Up the Heat on Cancer! Scott Six advocated for us and with us and off we went!
What area do you primarily serve?
We serve primarily the Dayton/Cincinnati/ Columbus area. However, we ship to anyone who wants a shirt. We have sent to California, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, New York and recently to Canada!
Can you share more about the shirts you create and who they help?
Our shirts are from sizes 2 Toddler to 4X adult. We serve chemotherapy patients and have done some custom shirts for dialysis patients.
How can someone get involved with your organization?
We are always on the prowl for new shirts in larger sizes. We use the donation money we get to purchase long sleeved shirts and sometimes sweatshirts and hoodies. We get so few of those from vendors. We do approach vendors for donations of over stocked or misprinted shirts. We have rarely been turned down.
Do you have a website, social media, or other contact information you would like us to share with readers?
We are in the process of getting an email address and a FB page going. In the meantime, people can connect with me at bfdpat@gmail.com
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
This mission has been as much a blessing for us as it has been for anyone. It came at a good time with the pandemic and probably kept us sane! We have learned much from one another and have worked together, bouncing ideas around and tweaking until we are happy with our product. We work independently of one another, each bringing something to the table when we get together. We are local with the exception of Judy who moved to NC last year. She wanted to continue with the mission so we send her shirts once a month or so. She whips them out and returns them for more.
Our members are Carole Wright, Cindy Mittag, Cindy Polander, Judy Upham, Larene Newman, Marion Newman and myself. We will likely be adding to the gang this year as restrictions are lifted. Most of us are retired and have been staying home during this pandemic. As we continue to grow, we will likely need to increase our gang members!
We all have good senses of humor and don’t take ourselves too seriously but we do feel a commitment to our mission and helping others. One of our members just had a breast cancer diagnosis and is awaiting word about her own future. We all know someone we love who has/had cancer. And we also know that we are not immune.
