There are everyday heroes all around us, all the time.

Two everyday heroes are my friends Simone and her daughter Vanessa who live in Manhattan, where despite a pandemic, fashion still matters. This summer when New York began to emerge from total lockdown, everyone was (and still is) required to wear masks even out of doors. Simone and Vanessa were quite disappointed in both the limited options for masks and the price.

So they decided to do something about it. With one borrowed sewing machine and a trip to the textile store, Simone and Vanessa were making fashion friendly masks. They have given away many of their creations, and many more have been shipped out for a donation. Simone and Vanessa are covering all the expenses so that every donation goes to charity.

Simone also told me there had been an unexpected by-product of this endeavor. “It’s not easy to have a girl in puberty around especially during COVID, but through this working together, it strengthened our relationship.” Or as Vanessa said, “I always loved you, but now I like you again, Mom.”

To check out Simone and Vanessa’s masks go to Instagram sew.safe.masks