YORK COUNTY, Pa. — It’s no secret that this pandemic has significantly changed the daily routine of medical professionals. Every day, they must face the dilemma of potentially bringing home the virus to their families.
Katelyn Alban, a local retailer for LuLaRoe, says, “A couple of my friends had reached out to me who are nurses and asked if I had leggings for cheap so they can wear them under their scrubs to lessen the cross-contamination. This way they weren’t changing in the parking lots or their apartments or garages or whatever the case may be. They would have something so that they could take off their scrubs and still have their clothes on”.
LuLaRoe is a clothing company that is big on giving back to the community. When Katelyn found out about this need, she wanted to step up and lend a helping hand. She told the nurses, "I could do them one better. I told them to come up, I will put the bags on the front porch. Come grab them, leggings are on me don’t even worry about it and of course, they were so thankful”.
However, Katelyn was determined to do even more. A few leggings to a couple of nurses just wasn’t going to cut it.
Katelyn explains, “I said I really wanted to do this on a mass scale. I really wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just blessing one or two nurses, but that I was blessing hundreds. That was my goal. I never thought that it would get to where we are now”.
The project has grown: friends, family, and shoppers came together to sponsor hundreds of leggings to donate in masses.
Katelyn says, “So far a box has gone to Yulee Florida to be distributed to all of the urgent cares in that area. A box has gone to Calvert County Memorial Hospital in Maryland. And a massive box has gone to WellSpan York Hospital here on Geroge Street”.
Plus, don’t worry, these leggings are not just for the ladies! Gentlemen can grab a pair as well. Katelyn explains, “You know actually - we’ve actually thought about that and they can wear them too!”
Katelyn is also brainstorming ideas for male nurses that might suit them a little better than the leggings would. She says, “I would love to be able to think of something. A company and my husband have actually talked about doing undershirts and tanks at this point, now. Maybe go to Walmart or Target and buy up all the tank tops and undershirts that come in packs to be able to give them with them also. This way the male nurses would have something too”.
At the end of the day, Katelyn hopes that the donation of these leggings will let these frontline workers know how important they are.
Katelyn acknowledges the nurses and says, “You’re literally putting your lives on the line every day going into work and you didn’t sign up for that. You signed up to help people. Little did you know we’d enter this pandemic and every day that you’re trying to help people you’re also putting your own life at risk”.
Even through social distancing, the emotions were running high. Katelyn says, “There were a lot of tears and a lot of air hugs. It was truly just amazing how what I feel is a small gesture changed that”.
If you're interested in donating to the good cause or sponsoring a pair of leggings, you can find out how on Facebook. Katelyn has a page called 'LLR Katelyn Alban' as well as a group called 'Lularoe Katelyn Alban' that you may join.
