CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Shippensburg University ROTC Cadet William Lamont has been balancing his time between attending classes online and creating essential personal protective equipment for front-line workers across the state. Cadet Lamont explains, “Through my connections on the internet – through Youtube and some other outlets, I discovered some files of face shields that you can 3-D print. All it takes is you run the file through the 3-D printer".
What started with just a couple dozen face shields being dropped off for family members working on the front-lines, quickly turned into a demand Cadet Lamont knew he needed help to meet. He explains, “That’s when I found the group that I joined called the Phoenixville area COVID-19 makers. It’s a group of people of sewers, people with 3-D printers, just makers in general that make 3-D printed face shields and sew masks for health care workers at no charge to the healthcare worker that’s receiving them”.
Cadet Lamont’s main goal was to be able to continue to provide this personal protective equipment at no cost to the user. A goal that was made possible by the Phoenixville Area Covid19 Makers. Cadet Lamont says, “They’ve raised over four-thousand dollars. They actually provide me with the plastic that I need in order to keep printing that’s how we keep everything free for the healthcare professionals – by doing a GoFundMe fundraiser”.
If you are interested in donating to the cause, you can find the link to the GoFundMe in the Phoenixville Area Covid19 Makers group on Facebook.
Over ten thousand face shields and over three thousand face masks have been delivered across Pennsylvania through the group effort. Recently, Cadet Lamont has noticed a new trend, “Our biggest issue right now isn’t meeting demand, but seeing where the demand is. We want to get the word out that we’re making, we’re delivering and we have the capacity to do so".
Cadet Lamont will continue to produce personal protective equipment for as long as there is a need. But he remains hopeful that soon enough, we will return to our old normal.
Cadet Lamont says, “Just hang in there, everything comes to end at some point. There will be a time and place that we can all meet up again and enjoy the activities we used to before all of this”.
If you are a front-line worker interested in ordering a face shield or face mask, click the link below.
