Insights

We are asking for your help to sew cloth masks for our healthcare staff at Snowline Hospice. If you or someone you know are interested, the directions and how-to links can be found below. The masks you make will be used by Snowline nurses and healthcare personnel who visit our patients every day. We would ask that you reach out to all you know and are associated with. Use social media, ask your neighborhood groups, faith communities, and charitable organizations. Let people know of our need. Drop off your handmade masks from 9:00 am -4:00 pm, Monday – Friday at a "no-contact dropbox" at both Snowline locations in Diamond Springs and Sacramento. Any amount is appreciated. Snowline Hospice Diamond Springs 6520 Pleasant Valley Road or Snowline Hospice Sacramento 100 Howe Ave. Suite 240 Approved Healthcare Masks VIDEO TUTORIAL LINK: HOW TO MAKE FACE MASK WITH FILTER POCKET AND ADJUSTABLE WIRE – SEWING TUTORIAL – YouTubePattern from EasyToSew on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJcEr7kcg&fbclid=IwAR3KDPn41MYTH1MoQWTMRKETyTqIn8kq2RWPfCQL0h9- V3HNrTlQxqSrGnw Beginner Friendly Tutorial Video for Sewing Masks provided by Medical Masks for Bozeman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPIAW4uwl98&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=I wAR3nzofy4Vo6NbhTq75RpgTRLPZ6xM6_tqlUkqz3kLXozeBLClJjNJXkV8c Considerations: Prewash cotton before you start to see–Fabric of tight weave cotton or cotton/poly and color-fast so when washed in hot water will not bleed–The nose piece stay is going to be a garbage bag tie and can be stitched in place. You’ll see that in the video. Material Quantity Dimensions Cotton or cotton/poly woven fabric 1 15” long x 7.5” wide Bias tape or 2” width fabric strips 2 **36” long** Plastic Twist Tie or **pipe cleaner** 1 About 6.5” long **Based on feedback and requests from the community, these directions have been updated** • Serge or zigzag the short edges of your rectangle. • Fold your fabric right sides together, matching the short (serged) edges. • Mark 1.5” in from each unfinished side. • Stitch along your finished edges with ⅜” seam allowance to the mark, reversing at the beginning and end of your seam. Press your seam allowance open. • Topstitch one edge of your seam allowance, ⅛” from the fold. • Mark ½” above the unstitched side of your seam allowance. Fold your mask at that mark. Press flat. Topstitch around the entire mask, ⅛” from the edge. • Important info regarding twist tie: do not use paper wrapped ties (like bread ties). The paper comes off during wash and wads up and the metal material becomes sharp. • Insert your twist tie into the top of the mask (above the unfinished pocket edge). Stitch along the top edge of the pocket opening, enclosing the twist tie. • Fold three ¾” pleats along your mask **so pleats face down on the front of the mask**. Press. Run a basting stitch along the edge of the mask to hold the pleats. ((For elastic ear loops)) • **Lay your bias tape or 2” fabric strip right sides together along the edge of the mask. Leave 12” of bias tape hanging below the mask and the rest of the excess above the mask. Stitch in place with a ⅜” seam allowance.** • **Fold the raw edge of your bias tape to meet the raw edge of your mask. Fold again so the folded edges meet along the ties and covers your previous stitching on the mask. Topstitch in place down the entire length of the bias tape (36”). Finished!** For elastic ear loops: ¼” elastic 2 pieces 12” long ½” bias tape or 2” wide strip 2 pieces 6” long • Lay your bias tape or 2” fabric strip right sides together along the edge of the mask. Leave ½” above and cut excess to have ½” overhang below the mask. Fold the ½” overhang to the back side of the mask on top and bottom. Stitch in place with a ⅜” seam allowance. • Fold the raw edge of your bias tape to meet the raw edge of your mask. Fold again so the folded edge covers your previous stitching. Topstitch in place. • Insert your elastic through the channel formed by the bias tape. Tie ends and tuck knot inside bias tape channel. Finished! APPROVED SUBSTITUTIONS: • In place of elastic ear loops, you may now use 1/4″ cloth ties, 1/4″ parachord and or 1/4″ decorative elastic. Some elastic is available in 1″ and 1/2″ and is easily cut and proven not to fray in our tests. • In place of plastic ties, you may now use pipe cleaners or flower wire.

What is it like to have a Dream come true?

Watching one of Christina's dreams come true on a recent Friday afternoon was nothing short of magical.....

Surrounded by her loving family in the living room of their home, Christina filled up with anticipation, as Snowline's Development Director Rene Hamlin began presenting a gift....a gift made possible by Snowline's partnership with The Dream Foundation.

Terminally-ill, Christina K. was propped up in bed as she watched and listened. And then tears filled her eyes, as Christina realized what was being given to her....a NFL 49ers jersey, signed by the legendary quarterback Joe Montana- her favorite quarterback of all time! The emotion in the room was overwhelming, as the family and Snowline staff realized how special this really was to Christina. She was beaming.

So how did this come to be? How does a terminally-ill patient have a Dream come true near end-of-life?

Snowline Clinical Director Lori Scoville calls it Legendary Care. It's this sort of care that makes Snowline different. Our Social Workers will talk with our patients about their wishes, their goals, what their passions are, etc. and will try to meet those goals.

Not every wish or dream is possible....but many are!

Magic like this happens because of Snowline's amazing Social Workers, like Maria Barron and Suzanne Trygar, who are instrumental in creating these moments and helping fulfill the wishes and goals of their patients. And this end-of-life dream of Christina's was made possible thanks to Snowline's partnership with The Dream Foundation.

Love of the 49ers and Raiders permeates the K. household..... So when Snowline social worker Maria Barron asked her patient Christina about her dreams, wishes, and passions, it didn't take long to learn of Christina's love of her favorite team, the 49ers... And her all-time favorite quarterback.....Joe Montana.

Maria worked with The Dream Foundation to arrange Christina's Dream of doing something exciting with the 49ers (before the 49ers were even in the Super Bowl), trying to get her down to see a game...or have some type of fan experience. But then Christina's health started declining, and the idea of taking her to a 49ers game was no longer a possibility. The Dream Foundation reacted pretty quickly to this turn of events, and got a signed jersey from Christina's favorite quarterback Joe Montana.

And for Christina, it was a Dream come true....

When asked about their partnerships with these organizations, Rene Hamlin says,

“There are a few foundations Snowline works with- including the Dream Foundation and the Lighthouse Foundation. The Dream Foundation arranges for all of the physical needs and arrangements of that Dream.....

In the past, we had a patient who was a Nascar lover, and they got him down to a Nascar race in San Diego, including getting to say “Start your engines”!

The Lighthouse Foundation (who just recently gave Snowline a gift to send someone to Hawaii), gives Snowline the funds, and then Snowline is responsible for making those arrangements to make sure that goal comes true.”

That Legendary Care is the sort of magic that makes Snowline different......a place where Patients are First. The reward of knowing Christina's dreams are important, and making her dream materialize for her.....seeing her smile.....hearing her heartfelt thanks......

These things make this kind of quality care an obvious standard for Snowline.

While Snowline might not be able to take you on a trip to the moon, Rene says “We can help arrange your trip to Hawaii!”

We want to celebrate you with a birthday card from Snowline.  
Please fill out this form - give us the Month and Day you were born and we will send you a card!

SIGN UP HERE


 

Snowline is pleased to share that Bonnie Davis, Snowline’s Director of Workforce Development and Volunteer Services, has been recognized on a national level by the Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE) . Bonnie was 1 of 3 volunteer engagement professionals awarded the 2019 National Impact Award as an Emerging Leader in Volunteer Engagement in the United States. One of the few volunteer engagement professionals to hold the Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA) credential locally, Bonnie was honored for her contribution to organizational mission and impact, commitment to building organizational capacity, her “out of the box thinking” regarding utilization and recognition of clinical volunteers and the innovative creation and design of programs. Bonnie was also recognized for her leadership and advocacy within the field of volunteer administration. She serves as a Board Member and the 2019-2020 Program Chair for Directors of Volunteers In Agencies (DOVIA) of Sacramento and also serves at a national level through the AL!VE Program and Advocacy Board Committee where she is a key player in shaping the organization’s advocacy policy and strategy throughout the United States.

Michael E Schmidt

CEO

SNOWLINE