Lifestyle |3 min read

Simpsonville Hygienist Sews Over 900 Masks

Collage of Kim from Simpsonville serving during Covid-19

We are sure that quite a few of us at ProGrin Dental spent our time catching up on our sleep and Netflix shows. While that is not a problem at all, Kim Carroll, our Simpsonville Dental Hygienist, spent her time serving others around her community. The past few months have been anything but boring for her.

Around the Community

There are people in our community that are at higher risk for Covid-19. These include people who are elderly, have asthma, heart conditions, diabetes, and other underlying health conditions. Kim volunteered her time and resources to serve and give help to her church family and community who are most vulnerable. She ran various errands, went grocery shopping, picked up prescriptions, etc.

With many people been furloughed or laid off from work and children home from school, the need for food and household goods was great (especially toilet paper)! Kim conducted a food drive through the NextDoor phone application and had a great response. They were able to help replenish the Center for Community Services Food Pantry with two trucks full of much-needed items.
collage of food pantry

Simpsonville Hygienist’s Nimble Fingers

She volunteered alongside First Baptist Simpsonville Servant Hands, sewing masks for first responders, medical personnel, and law enforcement. “My husband purchased me a sewing machine in March, and I quickly put it to good use. Let me tell you; I thought I would embarrass myself by messing up. But, God gave me direction and nimble fingers to sew countless numbers of masks,” Kim says. Some nights she stayed up past midnight. Another one of our Simpsonville Hygienists, Angie Price, was her partner in crime and had some great laughs. “Thank goodness our husbands understood and didn’t try throwing our machines out of the window. Knowing Angie, she’ll be about to fix hers.”

collage of homemade masks

March was a big hit for most of our country during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The demand for proper safety equipment was sky-high. Kim was able to source and send much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to friends across the nation. Some medical professionals have had to pay three to four times the pre-COVID price and lengthy delivery dates into June and July. Recently, Kim partnered up with a local dentist to research the most durable, breathable, and waterproof/water-resistant fabric to make washable PPE. They have finalized the fabric type to use and have lined up several sewists to start production. “Instead of throwing away disposable gowns after use and fill up our landfills, now dental offices can re-use their gowns.”

Simpsonville Hygienist Pursues Continuing Education

She spent most of her time attending the daily online ACT Dental Covid-19 Relief Dental conference. She earned over 60 hours of continuing education credits. Not only was Kim able to apply these learning experiences to her job, but she was also able to share them with coworkers and other dental related professionals.

All Work No Play?

Kim couldn’t have worked without some playtime! Before heading back to work, she went hiking for the first time at Providence Canyon State Park. “Who would have known such a beautiful place existed on the East coast.”
Collage of Providence Canyon Lake
“The support from my husband, family, and friends both from work and elsewhere have been phenomenal. Through all this, our amazing God has shown that in time of crisis comes opportunities to serve and love one another to the fullest extent possible.”
It has been a busy few months for Kim and our Simpsonville hygienists.
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