The Gang of Seamstresses is spreading throughout parts of Ohio, with a large concentration in the Versailles and Beavercreek area. The group began as fourteen ladies from Beavercreek. These ladies came into being because of their generous and compassionate nature. They have been filling a need which was discovered by Pat (Mangen) Cochran, a Versailles alum and former Brock resident.
The Gang of Seamstresses is a charity organization that modifies donated shirts into port access shirts for patients receiving chemotherapy or other infusion therapies. The shirts are distributed free to individuals, as well as adult infusion centers.
Pat explains that it all started with her friend since childhood, Dennis “Red” Seger. In 2015 Red was diagnosed with bladder cancer and started a chemo program at the James Cancer Center. Seger told Pat how he had to remove his shirt to receive his treatment and thought there should be a better way. Pat had seen port shirts online and decided she could make something similar for her good friend. She started with three shirts from a thrift store and sewed a zipper on the port side of each shirt and sent them to Red. The zipper allowed him to receive his treatment in street clothes, increased his comfort, and gave him greater dignity.
The nurses at the James loved Red’s modified shirts, so Pat decided made a few shirts in each size, distributing them through Seger to the James Center . The shirts were an instant hit, and the James Center requested more shirts hoping to distribute them to their seven centers.
And sew it began…
With more than two hundred years of sewing experience between them, the ladies assembled, tweaking the process and supplying the James with shirts for their patients. Pat recalls, “When Red went into remission and rang the bell, the nurses said they were happy for him but sad for themselves because there wouldn’t be any more shirts for future patients.” That was the moment when Pat and the ladies realized their talent was fulfilling a need of altruistic purpose, thereupon expanding their reach, providing shirts to all the local infusion centers.
Pat began searching for free shirts to make her vision a possibility. The group obtained 501(3)c status, and people began donating. The Beavercreek soccer group donated approximately four hundred new shirts and Prosperity Promotions donated even more. The first year, they sewed nine hundred shirts, and the numbers increased yearly.
Dennis Seger passed away on February 21, 2019. His widow, Deb, has made annual donations to the organization in his memory, and Denny’s brother, Dave, donates his time and gas delivering the shirts.
This labor of love has become a ministry for which Pat remains inflamed by the memory of her good friend and the knowledge that she is helping those engaged in their personal battle against cancer. “Often I feel Red’s presence and guidance and when the funds are thin, a check appears.”
And sew it grows…
In May, over twenty women carrying their sewing machines assembled outside of Versailles for Zipper School under the direction of Pat. “Zipper school,” the name coined by Pat, is a hands-on class that offers step-by-step instruction for volunteer seamstresses to create port access shirts.
The class occurred through the efforts of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 435 members, Bonnie Bey, Carolyn Francis, Kathy Heitkamp, and Shirley Magoteaux. These women wished to offer support to the Gang of Seamstresses in Beavercreek and broaden the territory served. Other members of the Auxiliary, as well as friends and family, agreed with their thinking.
Starting with a donation received from the Auxiliary, the ladies bought shirts, zippers, and other materials. Subsequently, Pat Cochran was contacted and gave the group their first zipper instruction in March. After those first volunteers had successfully sewn two shirts each, they took twenty shirts and materials home to sew at their own pace.
Once the story appeared in the paper and the news spread, more seamstresses volunteered and organizations made donations, such as the Darke County Solid Waste with more than 1,000 shirts and the VFW of Pleasant Hill and Maria Stein American Legion Auxiliary Unit 571 for covering supply expenses.
For simplification, this local group of ladies will operate under the same non-profit umbrella. They will provide shirts to Wayne Hospital of Greenville, the Dayton VA Hospital, and Mercer Health. While collectively the Gang of Seamstresses distributes within the Kettering Health Network, Premier Healthcare, Dayton Physicians’ Network, Adena Cancer Center in Chillicothe, and to individuals by request, throughout the United States and Canada.
These seamstresses volunteer their time and talent by working in their homes at their own pace. Sewing on their personal machines, they make a difference in the lives of those fighting cancer. To date, this newly established Gang of Seamstresses, encompassing Darke, Shelby, and Auglaize counties, has sewn more than 1100 shirts, of which 723 have been distributed. That is 1100 shirts in approximately 6 weeks. With the addition of these local county sewers, the Gang of Seamstresses has sewn over 24,000 shirts since 2018.
And sew you can help…
The group is always happy to have volunteers. The need for shirts, those who can sew, and funding for sewing supplies is constant. The ladies ask if anyone knows where there might be new shirts left over from a fundraiser, 5K, or advertising event. Any leftover shirts: long sleeve, short sleeve or sweatshirts can be put to effective use.
Errand runners, like Carl Stuck and Dave Seger, are also needed to pick up supplies, run errands and distribute the finished shirts. But the biggest and most immediate need is funding. Monetary donations are needed to purchase thread, zippers, interfacing, shirts, and postage when mailing the shirts.
The group accepts online credit card donations via the Greene County Community Foundation which is a 501(3) c https://greenegiving.org/donate-now/. Checks can be mailed to 941 West 2nd Street, Xenia, OH 45385. “Gang of Seamstresses” or GOS must be written on the memo line to insure proper handling of monetary donations.
Everyone knows someone affected by cancer, sometimes personally. If you know someone who needs a port access shirt or have questions, feel free to contact Pat at 937-974-6961 or Bonnie Bey at 937-423-4797.
